Vincenzo Costa on Imagination and Feeling in New Book
Philosopher Vincenzo Costa, professor of theoretical philosophy at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milan, discusses his latest book 'Immaginare e sentire. Per un’estetica fenomenologica' (Morcelliana, 2026). In the interview, Costa argues that feeling is an active process of disclosing the world, not passive reception. Imagination reveals possibilities embedded in reality, linking part to whole. He distinguishes imagination from fantasy: fantasy operates as an 'as if' faculty, allowing safe emotional exploration, while imagination has a metaphysical function. Artistic images 'refigure' feeling, and artists like Munch and van Gogh deform images to incarnate atmospheres. Costa also critiques the search for elementary parts in philosophy, asserting that the Absolute appears in time and history.
Key facts
- Vincenzo Costa is a professor of theoretical philosophy at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan.
- His new book 'Immaginare e sentire' was published by Morcelliana in 2026, 192 pp, €18.
- Costa's research interests include phenomenology of experience, existential phenomenology, and philosophy of consumption.
- He distinguishes imagination (metaphysical, linking part to whole) from fantasy ('as if' faculty).
- Artists like Munch and van Gogh deform images to express atmospheres.
- Costa argues that the Absolute is given in time and history, not beyond them.
- The interview is part of the 'Dialoghi di Estetica' series by Davide Dal Sasso.
- Costa has previously published works on Husserl, anxiety society, and madness theories.
Entities
Artists
- Vincenzo Costa
- Edvard Munch
- Vincent van Gogh
- Henri Matisse
- Edmund Husserl
- Davide Dal Sasso
- Henri Rousseau
- Matisse
- Eraclito
Institutions
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele
- Morcelliana
- Carocci
- Inshibboleth
- Scholé
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele di Milano
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Milano
- Italia