ORESTANO, FRANCESCO. – Philosopher, born in Alia on 14 April 1873, died in Rome on 19 August 1945. He taught (1907–24) the history of philosophy at the University of Palermo; he was president of the Italian Philosophical Society.
His thought, which aimed at the formation of a “superrealism,” remained always fragmentary, even while insisting on particular questions such as the theory of values and the relationship between positivism and philosophy. In contrast to his relativistic and pragmatic solutions, he nevertheless had a vivid sense of transcendence, which enabled him to accept Christian theism. Among his numerous works, the following are noteworthy: *Nuovi principi* (Rome 1925); *Verità dimostrate* (Naples 1934); *Il realismo*, in collaboration with F. Olgiati (Milan 1936); *Il nuovo realismo* (ibid. 1939); and the important article *La mia filosofia*, in *Riv. d’Italia e d’America* (1926, ibid.).