L'espressione e il cangiamento. Tentativi di ricomposizione dello specchio = Expression and change. Attempts to recompose the mirror

Abstract

Postmodern subjectivity has been defined as a "desert of mirrors" and philosophy played a crucial role in this definition, criticizing the metaphor of the mirror as a valid image for the theory of knowledge and, in general, for philosophy. The aim of my paper is to show how the metaphor of the mirror could be saved from this philosophical ban. Firstly, I will deal with the threefold definition of the mirror in the history of philosophy and culture. Secondly, I will argue that it is possible to reassess the metaphor of the mirror considering two interrelated concepts, expression and change, within the aesthetic reflection theory (Widerspiegelungstheorie).