Malattie immaginate, malattie dell'immaginario. Storia, critica ed etica in Jean Starobinski

The aim of this study is to highlight the ethical foundation of Jean Starobinski’s historical essays, in particular those on concepts and images related to medicine and psychology. According to Starobinski, the modern idea that truth is concealed by the phenomenal world became radicalised and spread at a socio-political level, leading to the conviction that reality is only made up of deceptive appearances and that the real world must be (re)founded. An emotional tone and a collective imagination pervaded by melancholy were the consequence of this devaluation of the sensible and became dominant at the end of the 19th century, preceding and paving the way for the advent of totalitarianism in Europe. This is a deep-rooted tendency that the contemporary world has not yet overcome. Starobinski’s reflection is essential today because it points out the dangers arising from scientistic rationalism’s invasion of the field of politics and ethical decision-making.