The philosopher Salvatore Veca died in the night, he was 77 years old. Academic, very active in the social, cultural and editorial life of our country.
He was born in Rome on October 31, 1943, he graduated in Milan in 1966 with a thesis in Theoretical Philosophy, under the guidance of masters of philosophy such as Enzo Paci and Ludovico Geymonat. He was professor of political philosophy at the University of Florence and, since 1994, at the University of Pavia but also president (1984-2001) of the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation for which since 2004 he has directed the series of the European Library. He helped spread John Rawls’s theory of justice in Italy. To give the news of his death, the House of Culture weeps “its president, the philosopher, his generous and tireless friend: the loss is enormous, there are no words”.
In 1974-1975 he was appointed professor of political philosophy at the University of Calabria. From 1975 to 1978 he was professor in charge of the history of institutions and social structures at the University of Bologna. From 1978 to 1986 he was associate professor of political philosophy at the University of Milan and from 1986 to 1989 at the University of Florence. From 1990 to 2006 he was full professor of political philosophy at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Pavia. From 1998 to 2005 he was a member of the Steering Committee of the University of Pavia. From 1996 to 1999 he was Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Pavia. From 1999 to 2005 he was dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Pavia. From 2000 to 2012 he was rector of the Giasone Del Maino University College of Pavia. From 2001 to 2006 he was director of the Interdepartmental Center for Studies and Research in Social Philosophy of the University of Pavia. From 2001 to 2005 he was Vice Rector for Teaching at the University of Pavia. From 2006 to 2013 he was full professor of political philosophy at the University Institute of Higher Studies of Pavia.
He was president of the General Balzan Prize Committee from 2009 to 2017. Veca was co-editor of the magazine “Aut Aut” with Enzo Paci and Pier Aldo Rovatti from 1971 to 1973. From 1977 to 1992 he was consultant for the essays of the publishing house Il Saggiatore, of which he directed the series “Theoria” with Marco Mondadori. In 1998 he received the Castiglioncello Prize – Philosophy Section for the book “Dell’incertezza” and was awarded, by decree of the President of the Republic, the gold medal and the first class diploma, reserved for Meritorious Science and of Culture. In 2000 he received the Carrara Academy Award for the book “Political Philosophy”.