The concept of formativity. A fundamental contribution of Luigi Pareyson to hermeneutics

Abstract

Although the origin and the development of the concept of formativity took place in the context of aesthetics, its importance spreads well beyond the limits of any definite area or phase of Pareyson’s philosophical thought. In our opinion, the relevance of the formativity concept lies in its universality and in the fact that it helps illuminate the nature of interpretation, more specifically, the concrete way in which it works. From this point of view formativity represents not only a definitive acquisition for Pareyson’s hermeneutics, but also a contribution to hermeneutics in general. The first part of the article argues that formativity is the inner «secret» of interpretation and the raison d'être of its universality. The second part aims to illustrate the benefit of the concept of formativity (that is, the contributions it can make) for the validity, scope and fecundity of hermeneutics.