VAILATI, GIOVANNI. - Mathematician and historian of the philosophy of science, b. at Crema on 24 Apr. 1863, d. at Rome on 14 May 1909.

Endowed with a lively interest in philosophical problems, he approached the philosophy of pragmatism (v.), which in the early years of the century exercised a particular fascination on the epigones of positivism who did not accept idealist speculation and yet intended to profess the originality of the life of consciousness. Also endowed with a profound humanistic culture, his scientific work is linked in a particular way to the problems of mathematical logic, where he continued the brilliant work of his teacher G. Peano, and to the philosophy of language.

Philosophical writings: Gli strumenti della conoscenza (Lanciano 1911); Il pragmatismo (ibid. 1912). The principal studies of science, history of science and of philosophy (213 in all) were collected, edited by M. Calderoni, U. Ricci and G. Vacca, in the vol. Scritti di G. V (Leipzig-Florence 1911).

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: O. Premoli, Biografia, preface to Scritti, etc., pp. I-XIX; M. Calderoni, Prefaz. e bibliogr., prefaces to Gli strumenti, etc.

Cornelio Fabro

@incollection{ec12_vailati_giovanni, author = {Fabro, Cornelio}, title = {Vailati, giovanni}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {956--957}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1954}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/vailati-giovanni} }

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Vailati, Giovanni

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