A radical freedom? Gianni Vattimo's ‘emancipatory nihilism’

What scope is there for emancipatory politics in light of the postmodern critique of philosophical foundations? This paper examines the response to this question by Italian philosopher, Gianni Vattimo, who for over two decades has defended the emancipatory prospects of what he terms ‘nihilism’. Vattimo conceives the retreat of metaphysics as a progressive weakening of ontological claims and an opening towards new and diverse modes of being. In his view, far from an exclusively tragic experience of loss or meaninglessness, nihilism is a steadily expanding narrative that invites us to face up to our own radical freedom. The paper sets out Vattimo's central arguments and contrasts the ethical thrust of his ‘emancipatory nihilism’ with the distinctly political take on emancipation presented by Ernesto Laclau. While the two converge on the withdrawal of metaphysics as the premise for a radical and democratic freedom, Vattimo's vision remains insufficiently focused on the dynamics of contestation that a generalized nihilism implies

Epiderme e padrão de venação foliar de espécies de Lauraceae Epiderm and leaf venation pattern of Lauraceae species

São descritas as características da epiderme e do padrão de venação foliar de eófilos e nomófilos de Cryptocarya moschata Nees, Endlicheria paniculata (Spreng.) MacBride e Ocotea catharinensis Mez. Tanto C. moschata, como O. catharinensis, mostraram variação considerável no grau de sinuosidade das paredes celulares anticlinais e na venação foliar microscópica de nomófilos, dificultando o uso destes caracteres para fins taxonômicos.<br>The epidermal and leaf venation pattern of eophylls and nomophylls of Ctyptocarya moschata Nees, Endlicheria paniculata (Spreng.) MacBride, and Ocotea catharinensis Mez are described. Both C. moschata and O. catharinensis presented a pronounced variation in the rate of ondulation in the anticlinal cell walls as well as in the minor venation of nomophylls. This makes it difficult to use these features for taxonomical purposes