A Modernist Interpreter: Benedetto Croce and the Politics of Italian Culture
The European Legacy: Towards New Paradigms, Vol. 5, pp. 845-861, 2000
25 Pages Posted: 19 Jan 2010 Last revised: 6 Jun 2012
Date Written: January 18, 2010
Abstract
In his classic study of intellectuals, Zygmunt Bauman distinguishes between modern legislators and postmodern interpreters. This article challenges one feature in particular – the missing figure of the “modern” interpreter. If Bauman grants that most interpreters are to some degree legislators, he overlooks the whole Hegelian tradition’s attempt at an interpretative defense of modernity that revealed its intrinsic rationality. Benedetto Croce provides an interesting case study of this missing position.
Keywords: Interpretor, Legislator, Intellectuals, Bauman, Hegel, Croce, Italy
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