L'essere iniziale nella Teosofia di Rosmini

This article presents the way in which Antonio Rosmini, in his Theosophy, introduces the transcendentality of being, using his idea of "essere iniziale". This concept, often confused with "essere ideale", will merit particular attention. Through his use of “essere iniziale” our author takes up aspects of the ontology of Duns Scotus and his way of conceiving ontological univocity and his metaphysical developments of ontology. Employing "essere iniziale," Rosmini introduces his theory of transcendental names (which he calls "primalità"), reproaching scholastic philosophy of having constructed, in reality, a mere theory of the names of an entity rather than of its being. Further, he insists on the need to hold firm the "ontological difference" between the entity in general and being qua being. Of particular interest, is his way of conceiving different types of infinity, allowing description of the possible forms of participation in the infinity of “essere Iniziale.