April 05

Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) was an influential English philosopher and political theorist. His landmark work, Leviathan (1651), established foundational ideas about social contract and sovereign authority. Living through the English Civil War, he argued that strong central government is necessary to avoid societal chaos. Hobbes’s materialist and empiricist approach influenced modern political philosophy and theory of human nature. His writings continue to spark debate on governance, individual rights, and the balance between freedom and security.

Born in Turin, Gioberti emerged as a leading thinker advocating for Italian moral and political unity. His work “Del primato morale e civile degli italiani” argued for a federated Italy under papal leadership. As prime minister of Sardinia in 1848, he sought to implement liberal reforms and strengthen national institutions. Gioberti’s blend of Catholicism and nationalism influenced the intellectual climate of the Risorgimento. His ideas paved the way for Italy’s eventual unification and remain significant in political philosophy.

Georg Misch was born in Berlin and studied philosophy at the University of Berlin. He became a leading scholar in the field of hermeneutics, exploring the interpretation of texts and the history of philosophical ideas. Misch held academic positions in Graz and Munich, where he taught and published extensively on figures such as Rousseau and Bacon. His writings bridged historical scholarship and philosophical analysis, influencing later thinkers in phenomenology. He continued his research throughout his life, contributing significantly to 20th-century Continental philosophy until his death in 1965.