Augusto Vera

Augusto Vera (4 May 1813 - 13 July 1885) was an Italian philosopher who followed Hegel's theories and translated many of his works.

Life

Vera was born in Amelia in the province of Terni. He was educated in Rome and Paris, and, after teaching classics for some years in Geneva, held chairs of philosophy in various colleges in France. He was a philosophy teacher at the Lycée Victor-Duruy (Mont-de-Marsan) and subsequently was professor in Strasbourg and in Paris.cite web |title=Augusto Vera | work=Dictionnaire biographique | url=http://www.cosmovisions.com/Vera.htm | accessdate=2006-11-10] He left Paris after the coup d'etat of 1851 and spent nine years in England. Attaching himself with enthusiasm to Hegel's system, Vera (who wrote fluently both in French and in English as well as in Italian) became widely influential in spreading a knowledge of the Hegelian doctrine, and became the chief representative of Italian Hegelianism.

Without any marked originality, his writings are distinguished by lucidity of exposition and genuine philosophic spirit. In 1860 Vera returned to Italy, where he was made professor of philosophy in the Royal Academy of Milan. In the following year he was transferred to Naples as professor of philosophy in the university of Naples upon Francesco De Sanctis' invitation.cite web |title=Augusto Vera | work=Facoltà Lettere e Filosofia | url=http://www.cosmovisions.com/Vera.htm | accessdate=2006-11-10 |language=Italian ] His "Prolusioni alla Storia della Filosofia" and "Lezioni sulla Filosofia della Storia" were connected with his professorial work, which was specially devoted to the history of philosophy and the philosophy of history. He kept his teaching position until his death in Naples.

Philosophy

It was during his studies, with his cousin in Paris, that he came to know about philosophy and through them he acquired knowledge of Hegelianism and it culminated during the events of the 1848-49 French revolution. In England he continued his studies of Hegelian philosophy. During his years in Naples, he would maintain relationships with the hegelian philosophical Society of Berlin and kept up to date with both the German and the French Hegelian literature. As a teacher, he undertook the translation of Hegel's "Introduzione alla filosofia" (Introduction to philosophy) in French. [cite web |title=10. La rinascita hegeliana a Napoli | work=Ex-Regno delle Due Sicilie | url=http://www.eleaml.altervista.org/sud/destra_sinistra/ds_rinascita_hegeliana.html | accessdate=2006-11-10 |language=Italian ] A lot of his work on neo-Hegelian theories were undertaken with Bertrando Spaventa. [cite web |title=L'ESCATOLOGIA PITAGORICA NELLA TRADIZIONE OCCIDENTALE | work=RITO SIMBOLICO ITALIANO | url=http://www.ritosimbolico.net/archivio/archivio_02.html | accessdate=2006-11-10 |language=Italian ] Some works see the Italian Hegelian doctrine as what led to Italian fascism. [cite web |title=Idealismo. Idealistas. | work=Enciclopedia GER | url=http://www.canalsocial.net/GER/ficha_GER.asp?titulo=IDEALISMO.%20IDEALISTAS.&cat=filosofia | accessdate=2006-11-10 |language=Italian ]

References

*1911