Solipsism or Community? Wittgenstein and Weil beyond the alternative between 'I' and 'we'
Philosophical and theological reflections on mystical experiences tend to emphasize the tension between the individual and the community. ‘Mystical’ refers to the subjective experience of the individual, as well as to the ‘mystical body’ formed by the community of believers. Starting from the observations of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Simone Weil, I contend that the dichotomy between the individual and the community is insufficient to explain the type of (de)subjectification experienced in the Mystical. In his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Wittgenstein addresses the solipsistic hypothesis («The limits of my language mean the limits of my world», 5.6) and ultimately reduces it to a form of mystical realism, where «the I […] shrinks to an extensionless point» (5.64). Similarly, in her Cahiers Weil identifies the ego as precisely what hinders the mystical experience («the flesh in us […] says I»), yet simultaneously denounces the risks inherent in the feeling of belonging to a community («and the devil says we, or I with a halo of we»). Building on the work of Wittgenstein and Weil, I will outline a third, impersonal approach to the Mystical that moves beyond the tension between solipsism and community.
Stefano OLIVA | Niccolò Cusano University
Cycle of Seminars: “Solitude and Communion in Religion and Ethics“
Scientific coordination: Massimo Leone, FBK-ISR
The speaker will connect remotely.
The event, organized by FBK’s Center for Religious Studies, will be held in Italian.
Registration by February 13, 2026 at 12:00 a.m. is required so as to arrange the connection.
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Speakers
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Stefano Oliva - SpeakerNiccolò Cusano UniversityStefano Oliva is associate professor of Aesthetics at the Niccolò Cusano University. He collaborates with the Interdisciplinary Documentation Centre for Science and Faith (DISF, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross) and is a scientific consultant for the Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani. He is a member of the editorial board of “RIFL - Rivista Italiana di Filosofia del Linguaggio”, “ILAe - International Lexicon of Aesthetics,” and “Fata Morgana. Quadrimestrale di cinema e visioni”. He has published: "La musica nell’estetica di Pareyson" (2013), "La chiave musicale di Wittgenstein. Tautologia, gesto, atmosfera" (2016), "Il Mistico. Sentimento del mondo e limiti del linguaggio" (2021), "L’elefante e il poeta. Mistica, estetica, psicoanalisi" (2024), "Simone Weil. Dieci idee per domani" (with Roberto Paura, 2025). He translated in Italian Alain Badiou’s "L’antifilosofia di Wittgenstein" (2018).
Registration
Registration to this event is mandatory.
Registration closed on 13/02/2026.
Contacts
Organizers
The initiative was also realized thanks to the contribution of "Direzione generale Educazione, ricerca e istituti culturali" of the Ministry of Culture.