SANSEVERINO, Gaetano. – Neo-scholastic philosopher, born in Naples on 7 Aug. 1811, died there on 16 Nov. 1865. Ordained priest, he was appointed librarian of the Royal Library of Naples. In 1840 he founded the Biblioteca cattolica, intended to make known the most significant works, Italian and foreign, in defence of Catholic thought, and the journal Scienza e fede to facilitate and extend the new current of ideas. In 1846 he was called to the Archiepiscopal Lyceum to the chair of philosophy, which he held until his death, adding to it an Academy of Thomist philosophy for the more careful and profound study of the doctrine of St Thomas.
The fruit of his studies and teaching are various valuable works, among which the principal is the Philosophia christiana cum antiqua et nova comparata, of which he published the first five volumes in 1862, while the sixth was completed, after his death and according to his direction, by his pupil N. SIGNORELLI, LUCA (v.). With acumen and depth he gathers the true meaning of scholastic doctrine, links it with the thought of the Fathers and the most illustrious philosophers and sets it against modern contrary systems, drawing from it solid and effective arguments to refute them. For his teaching, his works and the excellent pupils he formed (Prisco, Signoriello and Talamo) he is considered one of the principal restorers of scholastic philosophy in Italy. (v. scolastica).