Franco Volpi

Franco Volpi (4 October 1952 – 14 April 2009) was an Italian philosopher, historian of philosophy, and professor at Padua University. He was a regular contributor to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Volpi was an expert in German philosophy, with a particular focus on Martin Heidegger and Arthur Schopenhauer. His research delved into the connections between nihilism and the concept of nothingness, as well as the interplay between philosophy and contemporary psychology. He posited that "real philosophical questions have a history but have no answer." Volpi also held teaching positions at the University of Witten/Herdecke, Laval University, the University of Poitiers, and the University of Nice. His life was tragically cut short on April 14, 2009, at the age of 56, when he was killed in a bicycle accident after being struck by an automobile.