The possibility of hope : a conversation between Gianni Vattimo and Pope Benedict XVI

Abstract

My dissertation will focus on the possibility of hope and the implications of the way in which such a possibility is conceived by Pope Benedict XVI and Gianni Vattimo. Pride of place will be given to the encyclical Spe Salvi in dealing with the Pope's thoughts on this theme. Here, Benedict XVI speaks of the transcendent underpinning of humanity's hope. Conversely, post-structuralist thought affords only an 'immanent' kind of hope cut off from any type of broader horizon. Focus here will placed on the works of Gianni Vattimo, the famous Italian philosopher who, being himself a non-practising Catholic, proposes a different way in which to understand Christianity in connection with 'hope' itself. While, similarities in the way in which the Pope and Vattimo treat the modern age will be highlighted, an analysis will be provided of the authors' diverging views on the actualization of the hope of humanity.