Not Being God: A Collaborative Autobiography

Analogies1. Incipit2. Last Things3. Closeness4. The Untied Shoelace5. Rorschach Test6. Plateau Rosa7. Being8. Epochs9. The Impossible Return10. Debut11. On the Banks of the Neckar12. "Mad, utterly desperate study"13. Vampires14. Paradigms15. Popular Novel16. Oratory17. Catholic Action18. Beyond the Horizon19. Working-class School20. Demonic Possession21. Ulcer and Mao22. The Dream of a Thing23. Take a King and Thrash Him24. Porta Palazzo25. From Heidegger to Marx26. The Movement27. State of Grace28. The Bicycle Left Behind29. Lukacs's Slippers30. Forced Out31. In America32. The Two Boys33. Death Threats34. Revolutionary Moralism35. Weak Thought36. Roots37. Terraces38. A Safe Pair of Hands39. The Volunteer for Weak Thought40. The World41. In History42. In Human Conversation43. Barbarians44. Science's Positive Side45. Obituaries46. Obituaries Two: Cacciari47. Obituaries Three: Eco48. Under a Bad Sign49. With the Younger Son50. The Frankfurt School51. The Rich Fiancee52. The Little Old Lady in New York53. Almost a Mayor54. The End of Prehistory?55. Joachim of Fiore56. At a Certain Hour57. Return to Christianity58. Some Reality, Please59. If Stalin Had Been a Nihilist60. Evil, What a Pity61. If I Weren't God62. Compline63. The Treasure Chest of Being64. FlashesEnvoiAcronyms

Gianni Vattimo is emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Turin and a member of the European Parliament. His books with Columbia University Press are Christianity, Truth, and Weakening Faith: A Dialogue (with Rene Girard); Art's Claim to Truth; After the Death of God; Dialogue with Nietzsche; The Future of Religion (with Richard Rorty); Nihilism and Emancipation: Ethics, Politics, and the Law; and After Christianity.Piergiorgio Paterlini is a writer and journalist living in Italy and cofounder of the satirical journal Cuore.William McCuaig is also the translator of Gianni Vattimo's Christianity, Truth, and Weakening Faith; Dialogue with Nietzsche; and Nihilism and Emancipation.

Not Being God is a pleasurable stroll through one corner of the Italian intellectual world. Commonweal 1/15/10