The Italian philosopher Gianni Vattimo, known internationally for having developed the concept of "weak thinking", died this Tuesday at the age of 87 in the Rivoli hospital, in Turin, where he was admitted in serious condition.
The information was disseminated by the Italian-Brazilian Simone Caminada, assistant and companion of the philosopher for 14 years, in a publication on the social network Facebook.
Born in Turin on January 4, 1936, Vattimo is considered an exponent of hermeneutic philosophy and an influential Italian politician.
Professor at the University of Turin, he became recognized worldwide for being the "father" of the concept of "weak thought", a criticism of traditional metaphysics.
Strongly influenced by Nietzsche, Heidegger and Gadamer, he reinterpreted postmodernism as a "liberation" from totalizing metaphysics. In addition to his academic career, Vattimo was a member of the European Parliament and actively contributed to Italian and European politics.
During his career, he marked the philosophical landscape with a series of important works, such as The End of Modernity (1985), which analyzes the overcoming of modern rationality and the emergence of postmodernity.
Together with Pier Aldo Rovatti, in 1983, he presented The Weak Thought, a work that introduces the concept of the same name as a critique of metaphysical foundations. This idea is further explored in Beyond Interpretation, where Vattimo focuses on the central role of interpretation in contemporary philosophy.
However, he did not neglect issues such as religion and faith, as demonstrated in Believing to Believe, where he proposes a "weak Christianity" for the postmodern era.
The philosopher also played a pioneering role in promoting the rights of members of the LGBTQIA community, defining himself as "homosexual and Christian."
Recently, the press noted that Vattimo was being "exploited" by Caminada, 38. The Italian, who moved in a wheelchair, was involved in a court case and, yet, did not consider himself a victim.
According to a Spanish newspaper, the Turin Court of Justice sentenced the Italian-Brazilian to two years in prison for allegedly cheating on his partner and "inducing" Vattimo to marry him with the aim of keeping his inheritance.
