Cura di sé e filosofia nelle lettere dal carcere di Václav Havel

Abstract

The Italian translation of the 144 letters written by the Czech dissident Václav Havel during his imprisonment, offers the occasion for an evaluation of his thought. I present the reception of his letters and I suggest an historical and philosophical contextualization necessary for a critical interpretation. I conclude that the value of this collection does not lie in advancing an original philosophical doctrine. Instead, using Levinas's phenomenological language, these letters testify the relevance of responsibility. This notion becomes a fundamental anthropological concept that allows the passage from taking care of oneself, to taking care of the world.