Vita e razionalità in P. A. Florenskij

This book analyses the relationship between life and rationality in Florenskij’s thought. In the first part it reconstructs the dramatic historical context where the Russian philosopher wrote his work. Florenskij comes back to the classic notion of the being like energy, strength, life. In Florenskij’s conception the being is not under human control and dominion because it is unknown. In fact this concept agrees with the Russian idea of istina. In Russian philosophy life is the truth that speaks to the subject, it is not an abstract idea. Life is antinomic and it is wide that’s why it can exceeds the subject’s point of view. Chapter two describes Greek philosophers’ influence in Florenskij’s thought particularly the platonic philosophy. Plato’s thought is an ontological and positive attitude to life. Plato’s ideas are living glance of divinity, active strength that concern human destiny. All men must realize their idea in accordance with existential indefinite and unforeseeable trajectory, so it is important to accept with “deep yes” your own life. In chapter three the question of a new subject emerges, this involves the overcoming of the conscience’s horizon in order to meet ontological-mystic dimension. Human subject is a name that becomes incarnate in accordance with an upper and mysterious order. His name occurs before that conscience knows, this happening is very important because the subject’s name and God’s name have origin together and at the same time. The gift of the name highlights in the subject’s historic experience an important transformation that wins scepticism and illusionism. Vincenzo Rizzo