Benedetto Croce lived from 1866 to 1952 and was an Italian idealist philosopher, historian and politician who wrote across philosophy, history, historiography and aesthetics. He developed a theory of aesthetic expressivism, and in political thought he drew a distinction between liberalism, the support of civil liberties, and what he called liberism, the support of laissez-faire economics. His influence reached across the Italian intellectual spectrum from Marxists to fascists, and he is also credited with major contributions to the rebirth of Italian democracy through his later political career.
Facts
Birth YearSourced to the subject's own account Defining MomentSourced to the subject's own accountSurvived the 1883 Casamicciola earthquake on Ischia, which killed his mother, father and only sister and buried him for a long time before rescue; he inherited the family fortune and turned to philosophy full time. 1 Birth DateSourced to the subject's own account Notable PublicationSourced to the subject's own account Office HeldSourced to the subject's own accountMember of the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy, 1910 to 1946; Minister of Public Education, 1920 to 1921 1 Death YearSourced to the subject's own account Death DateSourced to the subject's own account BirthplaceSourced to the subject's own accountPescasseroli, Abruzzo, Italy 1 Death PlaceSourced to the subject's own account TraditionSourced to the subject's own account Classification
NationalitySourced to the subject's own account Connections
Influenced
Collingwood's expression theory of art in The Principles of Art (1938) follows Croce's thesis that art is essentially expression of emotion.
Additional Source R.G. Collingwood (Wikipedia)R.G. Collingwood, Wikipedia, aesthetics section
Influenced By
Croce's Philosophy of Spirit developed under heavy Hegelian influence; he wrote a full commentary on Hegel (1907).
Additional Source Benedetto Croce (Wikipedia)Benedetto Croce, Wikipedia, philosophy section
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Benedetto Croce (Wikipedia)
WikipediaInfobox, birth_date field
25 February 1866
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Pescasseroli
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25 February 1866
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20 November 1952
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Naples, Italy
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20 November 1952
Early life section, Casamicciola earthquake passage
His mother, father, and only sister were all killed, and he was buried for a long time and barely survived.
Lead section, list of major works
Aesthetic
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Member of the Senate of the Kingdom
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Neo-Hegelianism
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Benedetto Croce, ( KROH-chay; Italian: [beneˈdetto ˈkroːtʃe]; 25 February 1866-20 November 1952)
was an Italian idealist philosopher, historian, and politician who wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, historiography, and aesthetics.
Influenced By: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Benedetto Croce, Wikipedia, philosophy section
Heavily influenced by Hegel and other German Idealists such as Schelling, Croce produced what was called, by him, the Philosophy of Spirit. [...] Croce's famous commentary on Hegel, What is Living and What is Dead of the Philosophy of Hegel, was published in 1907.
View the Source R.G. Collingwood (Wikipedia)
WikipediaInfluenced: R.G. Collingwood, R.G. Collingwood, Wikipedia, aesthetics sectionQuote, Influenced: R.G. Collingwood, R.G. Collingwood, Wikipedia, aesthetics section
Collingwood held (following Benedetto Croce) that works of art are essentially expressions of emotion.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the 1883 Casamicciola earthquake shape Croce's life?
In 1883 an earthquake struck the village of Casamicciola on the island of Ischia while Croce was on holiday there with his family. The quake destroyed their home and killed his mother, father and only sister, and he himself was buried for a long time before being rescued. He survived and inherited the family's fortune, which gave him the independence to pursue philosophy without needing paid employment.
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