Introduzione. Filosofia e letteratura. Un colloquio pensante

It is challenging to delineate a comprehensive account of the relationship between philosophy and literature, due to the ancient, profound and complex nature of their interconnection. This relationship is not merely one of proximity. Instead, it represents an intricate intertwining that involves the various ways in which humans derive meaning from the world and existence itself. Philosophy explores this meaning through concepts and logical argumentation, whereas literature does so through narrative, symbols and imagery. Yet, the boundaries between these two domains are often porous and permeable: philosophy can take on narrative forms, while literature frequently incorporates existential and metaphysical reflections, thereby giving rise to a shared area for inquiry and interpretation. It is in this space that philosophy and literature meet and engage in a dialogue of thought, not as discrete disciplines but as complementary means of examining the human condition. The current issue of Thaumazein is structured in two parts. The first part examines works that exist “between” these two spheres – literary texts that are inherently philosophical. The second part shifts towards a perspective that is more explicitly philosophical-phenomenological, hermeneutical, aesthetic or religious – in order to explore the fruitful hybridisation between literature and philosophy.