Augusto Conti (December 6, 1822 - March 6, 1905) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

and

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

Biography

Augusto Conti was born in San Pietro alle Fonti in

San Miniato al Tedesco San Miniato is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Pisa, in the region of Tuscany, Italy. San Miniato sits at an historically strategic location atop three small hills where it dominates the lower Arno valley, between the valleys of Ego ...

in 1822 to a family from

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

. His parents were Natale and Anna Passetti. He studied in

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

and

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

; at university he assaulted a professor whom he considered

reactionary In political science, a reactionary or a reactionist is a person who holds political views that favor a return to the ''status quo ante'', the previous political state of society, which that person believes possessed positive characteristics abse ...

. He was expelled from the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

and spent a few months in

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

. After that episode he was forced to complete his studies outside the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...

. He therefore moved to the

Duchy of Lucca The Duchy of Lucca was a small Italian state existing from 1815 to 1847. It was centered on the city of Lucca. By the Congress of Vienna of 1815 the Duchy was to revert to Tuscany on the end of its Bourbon-Parma line of rulers or when the line wou ...

and graduated in law at the

University of Lucca The University of Lucca was an Italian university located in Lucca (LU), Italy, established in 1785 by the government of the Republic of Lucca. The university disappearing for good in 1867. There had previously been several attempts in the medie ...

. He was a

standard-bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a ...

in Montanara with the Tuscan volunteers during the

First Italian War of Independence The First Italian War of Independence ( it, Prima guerra d'indipendenza italiana), part of the Italian Unification (''Risorgimento''), was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other ...

. He taught in

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

, Pisa and in the Higher Institute of Florence. Distinguished

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

philosopher, prestigious

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

pedagogist Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken a ...

, he collaborated with

Raffaello Lambruschini Raffaello Lambruschini (also called Abbé or Raphael Lambruschini) (14 August 1788 – 8 March 1873) was a priest, Tuscan agricultural and pedagogical scholar and author; and Italian politician and senator. His diverse interests were pursued thro ...

on the periodical ''La famiglia e la scuola''. On March 31, 1869, for his literary and scientific merits, he was called to sit in the College of Residents of the

Accademia della Crusca The Accademia della Crusca (; "Academy of the Bran"), generally abbreviated as La Crusca, is a Florence-based society of scholars of Italian linguistics and philology. It is one of the most important research institutions of the Italian language ...

; later he covered the Archconsulate several times. He was the philosopher of beauty, who defined being between the true and the good, and connected them as the means between the beginning and the end. He had a classical style and his works are sometimes appreciated more for the elegance of the prose than for the content. In Florence, he was for a long time high councilor of public education and collaborated with the architect

Emilio De Fabris Emilio De Fabris (28 October 1808 – 3 June 1883) was an Italian architect best known for his design of the west facade of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence. De Fabris was born in Florence, Italy. He initially studied at the Academy of Fine ...

for the decoration of the facade of

Santa Maria del Fiore Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

using

iconographic Iconology is a method of interpretation in cultural history and the history of the visual arts used by Aby Warburg, Erwin Panofsky and their followers that uncovers the cultural, social, and historical background of themes and subjects in the visu ...

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sy ...

to represent the greatness of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and the meaning of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

Works

*''Cose di storia e d'arte'' (1874) *''Evidenza, amore e fede'' (1887) *''I discorsi del tempo in un viaggio in Italia'' (1867) *''Il bello nel vero'' *''Il buono nel vero'' *''Illustrazione delle sculture e dei mosaici sulla facciata del Duomo di Firenze'' (1887) *''Il vero nell'ordine'' (1876) *''L'armonia delle cose'' *''Letteratura e patria'', collana di ricordi nazionali *''Nuovi discorsi del tempo'' *''Religione ed arte'' *''Storia della filosofia'' *''Sveglie dell'anima'' *''Il Messia redentore vaticinato'' *''La mia corona del rosario'' *''Ai figli del popolo'' *''Giovanni Duprè'' o ''Dell'arte'' *''Evidenza, amore e fede'' o i criteri della filosofia (1858) *''La filosofia di Dante'' *''La bellezza qual mezzo potente di educazione''

Bibliography

* Giovanni Casati, ''Dizionario degli scrittori d'Italia dalle origini fino ai viventi'', Romolo Ghirlanda Editore, Milano, 1926-1934. * Mario Themelly,
CONTI, Augusto
� in ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'', Volume 28, Roma, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 1983. * ''Grande Dizionario Enciclopedico UTET'' (Fedele), Torino, UTET, 1992, volume V, alla voce.

References

{{reflist Italian philosophers