Gianni Vattimo

Gianni Vattimo (born in Turin, 1936) is an Italian philosopher, leftist politician, and human rights activist. He studied philosophy at the University of Turin and continued his studies in Heidelberg, under the tutelage of Karl Lowith and Hans-Georg Gadamer. Upon returning to the University of Turin, he was appointed as an assistant professor of philosophy in 1964, a professor of aesthetics in 1969, and a professor of theoretical philosophy in 1982. He initially became involved in politics through the Radical Party (Partito Radicale), then through the Democrats of the Left (Democratici di Sinistra, DS), and more recently through the small party of the Italian Communists (Partito dei Comunisti Italiani, PdCI). Between 1999-2004, he served as a Member of the European Parliament, as part of the European Socialist Party group. His philosophical interests are summarized in the fields of hermeneutics, ethics, Marxism, and a deconstructive philosophy of religion that sets the conditions for atheism. He has also worked as an activist for gay rights.