From the Weak Thought to the Thought of the Weak

Abstract

This essay offers a reconstruction of Gianni Vattimo’s philosophical trajectory, from his early readings of Heidegger and Nietzsche to his elaboration of the “weak thought” and its ethical, political, and theological developments. The article highlights how Vattimo reinterprets hermeneutics as a critical ontology of finitude, resisting metaphysical foundations and embracing secularization as kenosis. The text culminates in Vattimo’s proposal of a “hermeneutic communism,” where interpretation becomes a non-violent revolutionary praxis in defense of the weak. Far from being inconclusive, his thought remains radically open – a legacy that challenges philosophy to engage history and transform the world through remembrance and charity.