Die sinnliche Gewissheit des neuen Realismus

A rich philosophical debate has developed in Italy in recent years, culminating in the publicat ion of Maurizio Ferraris’ Manifesto del nuovo realismo (2012) and the contemporary Italian translation of Günter Figal’s Gegenständlichkeit . Given the importance of thes e developments, it is useful to examine the origin of this discourse in the philo sophical tradition, and especially in the work of Hegel. The refl ections of the new realists invite us to reconsider the importance of objects, reality, and truth. In this sense, they invite us to move beyond postmo dernism. Looking back to Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit , we find a passionate declamation in favor of Reason rather than rational intellect. Agains t all other philosopher s at the time—and in particular against Kant—Hegel gi ves a privileged position to sense- certainty and argues that it is the only way to reach absolute knowledge.