Carlo Galli on Politics, History, and the Future

Political theorist Carlo Galli, born in 1950, was a full professor of History of Political Doctrines at the University of Bologna. He has written extensively on modern and contemporary political thought, directs the journal "Filosofia politica," and has held leadership roles at the Accademia delle Scienze di Bologna, Fondazione Gramsci Emilia-Romagna, and publisher Il Mulino. He served as a deputy in the 17th Italian legislature. In this interview, Galli discusses his intellectual journey, key works, and vision for the future. He identifies two projects as most representative: "Genealogia della politica" (1996), a study of Carl Schmitt and modern political thought, and his recent curation of the first complete Italian edition of Hugo Grotius's "The Rights of War and Peace." Galli emphasizes the importance of "Genius Loci," rooting political thought in European space and time. He argues that the past is inescapable but not deterministic, and that the future requires a critical engagement with tradition. He advises young scholars to prepare for a difficult struggle against the bureaucratization of knowledge. On the concept of the sacred, he distinguishes between liberating and enslaving forms. Looking ahead, Galli proposes three guiding ideas: crisis, the risk of violence and apathy, and a new awakening—a "svolta" or revolt—driven by intellectuals reclaiming a public role to demand a dignified life for all, beyond mere technical solutions.