Giuseppe Ferrari

Giuseppe Ferrari (7 March 1812 – 2 July 1876) was an Italian philosopher, historian and politician. Born in Milan, he studied law at Pavia and graduated in 1831. He was a follower of Romagnosi and Giovan Battista Vico. His early works included an article in the *Biblioteca Italiana* and an edition of Vico's works. Finding Italy unreceptive to his ideas, he moved to France, where he published *Vico et l'Italie* (1839), *La Nouvelle Religion de Campanella*, and *La Théorie de l'erreur*. These works earned him a Docteur ès lettres from the Sorbonne and a professorship in philosophy at Rochefort (1840), and later at Strasbourg (1842). After further conflicts, he returned to Paris, publishing *Idées sur la politique de Platon et d'Aristote*. From 1849 to 1858, he focused on writing, producing works such as *Les Philosophes Salariés* (1849), *La Federazione repubblicana* (1851), *La Filosofia della rivoluzione* (1851), and *Histoire des révolutions, ou Guelfes et Gibelins* (1858). In 1859, he returned to Italy, where he opposed Cavour's centralizing policies and championed federalism. Despite this opposition, he held chairs of philosophy in Turin, Milan, and Rome, and represented Gavirate in the Chamber of Deputies. He became a senator in May 1876 but died just six weeks later. Ferrari's notable works also include *Histoire de la Raison d'État*, *Corso di storia degli scrittori politici italiani*, and *La Chine et l'Europe*, in which he predicted the rise of superpowers. He was known as a skeptic, a revolutionary, and a compelling orator and writer.