Massimo Cacciari’s re????lections on crisis (krisis) and its implications for Europe’s future are more urgent than ever. This article traces his shift from an early Marxist view of crisis as a historical condition to be overcome to his later engagement with pensiero negativo (negative thought), where crisis is seen as an ineradicable fissure at the heart of reality. Drawing on thinkers such as Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Schopenhauer, as well as religious and mythological sources, Cacciari argues …
Read moreMassimo Cacciari’s re????lections on crisis (krisis) and its implications for Europe’s future are more urgent than ever. This article traces his shift from an early Marxist view of crisis as a historical condition to be overcome to his later engagement with pensiero negativo (negative thought), where crisis is seen as an ineradicable fissure at the heart of reality. Drawing on thinkers such as Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Schopenhauer, as well as religious and mythological sources, Cacciari argues that crisis must be embraced rather than resolved. He extends this understanding of crisis beyond philosophy to his political re????lections, portraying Europe as an unresolved paradox—its identity shaped by the perpetual interplay of difference and belonging. Rejecting both reactionary nostalgia and technocratic homogenization, Cacciari envisions a Europe that must navigate its uncertainties through intellectual and cultural openness.
