The Relationship of Italian Neo‑Scholasticism and Phenomenology to Naturalistic Anthropology
An Exploration via the Views of Sofia Vanni Rovighi
Abstract
This article explores the anthropological views of Sofia Vanni Rovighi (1908–1990), an Italian philosopher who identified herself as a Thomist while advocating a broadening out of this classical approach through the incorporation of phenomenological elements. The text outlines her conception of the human being, distinguishing between phenomenological and metaphysical levels. A key focus here is her critique of naturalism—which, she argued, is unjustly reductive in its approach to human beings. This polemical reflection situates her views within a broader context, addressing in particular the call for a re‑empiricization of Thomistic anthropology.
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