Augusto Conti (December 6, 1822 – March 6, 1905) was an Italian philosopher and

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

Biography

Augusto Conti was born in San Pietro alle Fonti in San Miniato al Tedesco in 1822 to a family from

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

. His parents were Natale and Anna Passetti. He studied in

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

and

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

; at university he assaulted a professor whom he considered

reactionary In politics, a reactionary is a person who favors a return to a previous state of society which they believe possessed positive characteristics absent from contemporary.''The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought'' Third Edition, (1999) p. 729. ...

. He was expelled from the university and spent a few months in prison. After that episode he was forced to complete his studies outside the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

. He therefore moved to the

Duchy of Lucca The Duchy of Lucca () was a small Italian state existing from 1815 to 1847. It was centered on the city of Lucca. History The Duchy was formed in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, out of the former Republic of Lucca and the Principality of Lucca ...

and graduated in law at the

University of Lucca The University of Lucca was an Italian university located in Lucca (LU), Italy, established in 1785 by the government of the Republic of Lucca. The university disappearing for good in 1867. There had previously been several attempts in the mediev ...

. He was a

standard-bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a colour-bearer or flag-bearer, is a person who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as ...

in Montanara with the Tuscan volunteers during the

First Italian War of Independence The First Italian War of Independence (), part of the ''Risorgimento'' or unification of Italy, was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other conse ...

. He taught in

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

, Pisa and in the Higher Institute of Florence. Distinguished

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

philosopher, prestigious writer, pedagogist, he collaborated with Raffaello Lambruschini on the periodical ''La famiglia e la scuola''. On March 31, 1869, for his literary and scientific merits, he was called to sit in the College of Residents of the

Accademia della Crusca The (; ), generally abbreviated as La Crusca, is a Florence-based society of scholars of Italian linguistics and philology. It is one of the most important research institutions of the Italian language, as well as the oldest Academy#Linguisti ...

; later he covered the Archconsulate several times. He was the philosopher of beauty, who defined being between the true and the good, and connected them as the means between the beginning and the end. He had a classical style and his works are sometimes appreciated more for the elegance of the prose than for the content. In Florence, he was for a long time high councilor of public education and collaborated with the architect Emilio De Fabris for the decoration of the facade of

Santa Maria del Fiore Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christm ...

using

iconographic Iconology is a method of interpretation in cultural history and the history of the visual arts used by Aby Warburg, Erwin Panofsky and their followers that uncovers the cultural, social, and historical background of themes and subjects in the visu ...

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

to represent the greatness of Christianity and the meaning of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

Works

*''Cose di storia e d'arte'' (1874) *''Evidenza, amore e fede'' (1887) *''I discorsi del tempo in un viaggio in Italia'' (1867) *''Il bello nel vero'' *''Il buono nel vero'' *''Illustrazione delle sculture e dei mosaici sulla facciata del Duomo di Firenze'' (1887) *''Il vero nell'ordine'' (1876) *''L'armonia delle cose'' *''Letteratura e patria'', collana di ricordi nazionali *''Nuovi discorsi del tempo'' *''Religione ed arte'' *''Storia della filosofia'' *''Sveglie dell'anima'' *''Il Messia redentore vaticinato'' *''La mia corona del rosario'' *''Ai figli del popolo'' *''Giovanni Duprè'' o ''Dell'arte'' *''Evidenza, amore e fede'' o i criteri della filosofia (1858) *''La filosofia di Dante'' *''La bellezza qual mezzo potente di educazione''

Bibliography

* Giovanni Casati, ''Dizionario degli scrittori d'Italia dalle origini fino ai viventi'', Romolo Ghirlanda Editore, Milano, 1926–1934. * Mario Themelly,
CONTI, Augusto
� in ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'', Volume 28, Roma, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 1983. * ''Grande Dizionario Enciclopedico UTET'' (Fedele), Torino, UTET, 1992, volume V, alla voce.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Augusto 19th-century Italian philosophers 1822 births 1905 deaths