Abstract

The article presents a survey of the relationships between the Italian philosophical culture and those of other countries. Notwithstanding Bertrando Spaventa's thesis on the primacy of Italian philosophy, in the last two centuries Italy has mainly imported philosophical ideas from other countries. The contributions of Germany, France, England and U.S. are examined, and an underlying tendency is identified in Italian importations, which often were functional to a hostile attitude towards science and modernity. The last section is devoted to an evaluation of the (modest) fortune of some Italian authors in other countries.