Abstract

V delu Prepričanje in retorika italijanski filozof Carlo Michelstaedter, eden najbolj zanimivih, čeprav ne dovolj poznanih mislecev z začetka dvajsetega stoletja, ni samo podal nekaj osnovnih konceptov, ki jih bosta šele kasneje razvila fenomenologija in eksistencializem, marveč je tudi izdelal izvirno interpretacijo človeškega bivanja. Michelstaedter ugotavlja, da obstajata dva osnovna načina doživljanja človeškega stanja. Prvega, imenovanega “retorika”, določa razširjena logika substitucij, ki prežema strukturo družbe in je prisotna celo v jeziku. Človek jo je razvili zato, da bi si pridobil utvaro o obvladljivosti svoje bitnosti in smisla svojega sveta. Z druge strani se zdi popolno zaobjetje svojega bitja, čemur filozof pravi “prepričanje”, pravzaprav nedosegljivo in tudi formalno podobno smrti. V vsakem primeru “za razliko od tramvajeve proge pot prepričanja nima znakov, ki bi jih lahko prebrali, se jih naučili in posredovali drugim. Kljub temu ima vsakdo od nas potrebo po tem, da jih najde. Vsakdo si mora pot utreti sam, saj ostaja osamljen in si ne more pričakovati pomoči od drugih”. Nekateri so videli v takšni metafizični samoti tudi poglavitni vzrok, zakaj se je šele triindvajsetletni Michelstaedter odločil za samomor takoj zatem, ko je bila knjiga napisana. In Persuasion and Rhetoric , the Italian philosopher Carlo Michelstaedter, one of the most interesting although not sufficiently known thinkers from the beginning of the 20th century, not only anticipated some relevant concepts that have been later developed both by phenomenology and existentialism, but he also conceived an original interpretation of the human existence. Michelstaedter claims that there are two basic ways of living the human condition. The first one, the “Rhetoric”, is dominated by a widespread logic of substitutions constructed by human beings, involving the structure of society and language itself, that gives them the illusion of controlling their individuality and the meaning of their world. On the other hand, achieving a complete possession of oneself, what the philosopher calls “Persuasion”, seems to be an unachievable goal; moreover, it reveals a formal affinity to death. In every case, “the way of Persuasion, unlike a bus route, does not have signs that can be read, studied and communicated to others. However, we all have within ourselves the need to find that ; we all must blaze our own trail because each one of us is alone and cannot expect any help from the outside.” This metaphysical loneliness has sometimes been stated to be the main reason for Michelstaedter’s suicide, committed just after the book was finished at the young age of 23