Giovanni Reale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Giovanni Reale
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Giovanni Reale in 2013
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| Born | April 15, 1931 |
| Died | October 15, 2014 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Alma mater | Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore |
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Main interests
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Giovanni Reale (born April 15, 1931 – died October 15, 2014) was an Italian historian of philosophy. He was known for his deep studies of ancient Greek and Roman thinkers.
Contents
Life Story
Giovanni Reale was born in Candia Lomellina, a town in Pavia, Italy. He went to high school in Casale Monferrato. Later, he studied at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, where he earned his degree. He continued his studies in Germany, in cities like Marburg and Munich.
After teaching in high schools for a while, he became a professor at the University of Parma. There, he taught about moral philosophy (which is about what is right and wrong) and the history of philosophy. He then returned to the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. For many years, he was a professor of ancient philosophy there. He also started a special research center for Metaphysics (which explores the basic nature of reality). In 2005, he began teaching at the new philosophy department at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan.
Giovanni Reale passed away on October 15, 2014, at his home in Luino.
His Ideas and Research
Giovanni Reale believed that the way ancient Greek thinkers looked at the world was very important. He argued that their special way of thinking led to the creation and growth of science and technology in the West.
He studied many ancient thinkers, both from pagan times and Christian times. His most important work focused on Aristotle, Plato, Plotinus, Socrates, and Augustine of Hippo. He liked to study these thinkers from a new, "against-the-grain" perspective. This means he looked at their ideas in a fresh way, often challenging older interpretations.
One of Reale's big ideas was about Plato. He was a main supporter of the idea that Plato had "unwritten doctrines." These were important philosophical ideas that Plato taught to his students by speaking, but he didn't write them down in his famous books (called Dialogues). Reale thought that the best and most important parts of Plato's philosophy were these ideas that were only shared orally in his school, the Academy.
Main Books
Giovanni Reale wrote many books about philosophy. Here are some of his important works:
- Il concetto di filosofia prima e l'unità della Metafisica di Aristotele (1961) - This book explores Aristotle's ideas about the main principles of reality.
- Storia della filosofia antica, 5 volumi (1975) - A five-volume history of ancient philosophy.
- Il pensiero occidentale dalle origini ad oggi (1983) - This book covers Western thought from its beginnings to the present day.
- Per una nuova interpretazione di Platone (1984) - This work offers a new way to understand Plato.
- Socrate. Alla scoperta della sapienza umana (1999) - A book about Socrates and his search for human wisdom.
- Storia della filosofia greca e romana, 10 volumi (2004) - A ten-volume history of Greek and Roman philosophy.
Awards and Recognitions
Giovanni Reale received several honors for his important work:
- He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2011. This is a very high honor given by the President of Italy.
- He won the "Roncisvalle" Prize from the University of Navarra.
- He was made an honorary citizen of Syracuse, a city in Sicily.
Honorary Degrees
He also received special honorary degrees from several universities:
- International Academy of Philosophy of Liechtenstein
- John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
- Moscow State University
See also
In Spanish: Giovanni Reale para niños
