Giuseppe Rensi graduated from the Sapienza University of Rome in 1893, beginning a career that spanned law, journalism, and political activism before his definitive shift toward philosophy. His professional trajectory took him from socialist politics in Milan to Swiss exile and finally to a professorship at the University of Genoa that ended in political dismissal.
Early Political Engagement and Exile
Born in 1871 in Villafranca di Verona, Rensi was the son of a doctor, Gaetano, and Emilia Wallner. During his youth, he contributed to socialist periodicals such as Rivista popolare and Critica Sociale. Following the Milan food riots of May 1898, he fled to Switzerland, where he received a sentence of 11 years in prison in absentia. In 1903, he became a Swiss citizen and served as the first socialist deputy in the parliament of the Canton of Ticino. While residing in Bellinzona, he practiced law and married Lauretta Perucchi, with whom he had two daughters, Emilia and Algisa.
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Returning to Italy in 1908, Rensi shifted his focus to philosophy, writing works such as Il genio etico ed altri saggi and La trascendenza un neoidealismo trascendente. He held academic lectureships at the universities of Bologna, Ferrara, and Florence. Upon settling in Genoa, he served as a professor at the University of Genoa. His experience during the First World War triggered a transition from idealism to scepticism, formally detailed in his 1919 work Lineamenti di filosofia scettica. In Filosofia dell’autorità, published in 1921, he argued that irreconcilable world views necessitated a single authority enforced by physical power, leading to his temporary support for the burgeoning Fascist movement.
Opposition and Later Years
By 1925, Rensi shifted into opposition against Mussolini, signing Benedetto Croce's manifesto against Fascism and publishing Apologia dell'ateismo. The regime eventually targeted him; he was suspended from his lectureship in 1927. After a 1930 arrest for political conspiracy, he was definitively dismissed from his post in 1934 and confined to the university library to compile a Ligurian bibliography. He continued writing, producing fragmented works such as Scheggie, Impronte, and Scolii. He died in 1941 following abdominal surgery and is interred at the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno under an epitaph reading, 'Etiam si omnes, ego non'.
Fast facts
- Born: 1871, Villafranca di Verona
- Died: 14 February 1941, Genoa
- Religion: Atheism
- Education: Sapienza University of Rome
- Spouse: Lauretta Perucchi
- Daughters: Emilia and Algisa
- Burial site: Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno
Questions readers ask
Why was Rensi dismissed from the University of Genoa?
He was dismissed in 1934 due to his opposition to the Fascist regime and his critical writings, which included signing an anti-Fascist manifesto.
What is the meaning of the Latin phrase on his tombstone?
The phrase 'Etiam si omnes, ego non' translates to 'Even if all others, I will not,' reflecting his stance against the prevailing political environment.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Genoa
- Fields: philosophy, philosophy of law and philosophy and politics
