Download or read book Weakening Philosophy written by Santiago Zabala and published by McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. This book was released on 2006-12-12 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moving away from Jacques Derrida's deconstructionism and Paul Ricoeur's hermeneutics, and building on his experiences as a politician, Vattimo asks if it is still possible to speak of moral imperatives, individual rights, and political freedom. Acknowledging the force of Nietzsche's "God is dead," Vattimo argues for a philosophy of pensiero debole or "weak thinking" that shows how moral values can exist without being guaranteed by an external authority. His secularising interpretation stresses anti-metaphysical elements and puts philosophy into a relationship with postmodern culture.