Nicola Abbagnano: The Italian philosopher who reimagined existentialism as a positive, scientific project

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 · Updated 24 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: While existentialism is often associated with despair or negation, Nicola Abbagnano championed a positive, methodological approach. By blending existential inquiry with the rigors of science and pragmatism, he sought to define human existence through possibility and choice, distancing his work from the darker, more pessimistic currents of his contemporaries.

Born in Salerno in 1901, Nicola Abbagnano emerged as a pivotal figure in 20th-century Italian philosophy. His early career in Naples was defined by an anti-idealist stance and a deep interest in the methodological foundations of science, heavily influenced by his mentor, Antonio Aliotta. By the time he moved to Turin in 1939 to take up a professorship, his focus had shifted toward existentialism. However, Abbagnano was never a conventional existentialist; he rejected the negative, often nihilistic implications he perceived in the works of Heidegger, Jaspers, and Sartre.

Abbagnano formulated what he termed 'positive existentialism' or a 'philosophy of the possible.' In his seminal 1939 work, La struttura dell'esistenza, he argued that human existence is defined by the capacity to choose and the reality of possibility. He criticized other existentialists for either denying the validity of human potential or, conversely, exaggerating it to the point of absurdity. This framework eventually evolved into what he called a 'New Enlightenment'—a project that sought to integrate philosophical inquiry with the empirical methods of sociology and the pragmatism of thinkers like John Dewey.

His intellectual output was vast, ranging from historical monographs on figures like Bernardino Telesio and William of Ockham to his comprehensive Storia della filosofia, published between 1946 and 1950. In his later years, particularly after moving to Milan in 1972, Abbagnano adopted an increasingly naturalistic and scientific approach to philosophy. He remained an active public intellectual until his death in 1990, contributing regularly to newspapers like La Stampa and Giornale, and serving as a town councillor. His legacy remains that of a bridge-builder who insisted that philosophy must remain grounded in the concrete, evolving realities of human life.

The significance of Abbagnano’s work lies in his attempt to reconcile the subjective experience of freedom with the objective demands of scientific methodology. By treating philosophy as a 'summa' of concepts—best exemplified by his 1961 Dizionario di filosofia—he provided a structured, lay approach to existential questions. His influence extended beyond Italy, with scholars noting his philosophical affinities with thinkers like Merleau-Ponty, as both sought to navigate the ambiguity of human existence within a situated, worldly context.

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