From magical pragmatism to apocatastasis : a philosophical journey by Giovanni Papini

In 1903, Giovanni Papini founded, together with Giuseppe Prezzolini, the literary magazine Leonardo, which published contributions promoting the philosophy of pragmatism in Italy. By writing essays and novels, Papini proposed his own version of pragmatism, described as "magical" or "mystical," and focused on the concept of Man-God. Irreligious, fascinated by the figure of the Devil, and confident in the occult sciences, the young Florentine philosopher was convinced that he could gain supernatural powers and himself become a divine being. This article outlines the meaning of the concept of Man-God and presents the practical failure of Papini's project as one of the reasons behind his conversion to Catholicism. This work also aims to show that, even after his conversion, Papini maintained his autonomy of judgment in theological matters. Indeed, he proposed a reform of the Christian doctrine of the Last Judgment, by defending the idea of apocatastasis