Massimo Baldini

thumb|Massimo Baldini Massimo Baldini (18 June 1947 – 10 December 2008) was an Italian philosopher, specialized in the philosophy of science and of language. Elogio del silenzio e della parola. I filosofi, i mistici e i poeti Massimo Baldini, Elogio del silenzio e della parola. I filosofi, i mistici e i poeti, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli (CZ), 2005. ISBN 88-498-1129-2 Incipit In the electrical and electronic galaxy, words first went bankrupt, followed by images. “Talking words” became increasingly rare and “spoken words” increasingly frequent. Chatter (“an art of speech,” writes EbnerThe Austrian Ferdinand Ebner was the philosopher who developed a philosophy of language based on religion. entry on Wikipedia.—heartless and loveless) has overflowed. Words, to quote Lec, have now become “obituaries of thought.” And for some time now, this has also been true of images. "The twentieth century,“ writes Christian Bobin, ”speaks to the eye, and since sight is one of the most fickle senses, it is necessary to shout, to scream with violent lights, deafening colors, images that are discouraging in their cheerfulness, images that are dirty in their cleanliness, emptied of every shadow and every sorrow. Images that are inconsolably cheerful." Quotes The theme of silence can be topical or outdated. It is never out of fashion. And today, despite what many may think at first glance, it is undoubtedly topical. Perhaps more so than ever before. “As the power of language diminishes,” noted Susan Sontag, “the power of silence increases.” And ours are times in which language is seen as something corrupt. “In no century,” wrote Ignazio Silone in ‘'Pane e vino’' [the title is ‘'Vino e pane’'], "has the word been so perverted, as it is now, from its natural purpose, which is to enable people to communicate. Speaking and deceiving (often deceiving oneself) are now almost synonymous." The widespread disaffection with words stems from the realization that our speech and that of others has become mostly mere palatal facts, impersonal and banal chatter. (pp. 83-84) Silence also enhances testimony. Silence does not prove, argue, or demonstrate; it only testifies. Yet, despite this, or perhaps because of it, it possesses an unusual power. “Why are you crying out so loudly?” God said to Moses. Yet Moses was silent. “So much,” commented Kierkegaard, “can silence cry out to heaven.” (p. 93) The oxymoron is preferred by the mystic because it allows him to express something ineffable, because it is the best tool for speaking of the unspeakable, because in the world of duality it creates the ‘'coincidentia oppositorum’', which Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), in the context of his theology of the Incarnate Word, considered almost the least imperfect definition of God. The mystic, in his talk of God, punctuated by ‘'improprietas’', ‘'voces obscurae, horridae, inauditae’', seeks through a paroxysmal accumulation of oxymorons to linguistically touch the divine. (from ‘'La mistica e i mistici’', p. 187) Explicit “Accuracy,” wrote Housman, “is a duty, not a virtue.” This applies to historians as well as journalists. Therefore, praising a historian (or journalist) “for his accuracy is like praising an architect for using well-seasoned timber or properly mixed cement in the construction of buildings. It is a necessary condition of his work, not its essential function.” Baldini, Massimo Category:1947 births Category:2008 deaths Category:Philosophers from Italy