Leopardi’s Sceptical Humanism Between Darwinism and Nihilism

This article explores the humanistic dimension of Leopardi’s philosophy through an analysis of the Zibaldone, the Operette Morali, and the Pensieri. The aim is to highlight how Leopardi progressively rethought the relationship between humans and animals, celebrating and radically renewing the humanistic tradition from a sceptical and ironic perspective. This approach reaches its peak in the Pensieri, where Leopardi offers a nihilistic reinterpretation of Pico della Mirandola’s Discorso sulla dignità dell’uomo.