Pensare per metafore: l’hydre e l’arbre nella guerra civile tra gli increduli

Abstract

The essay is concerned with the instrumental use of two specific metaphors (the hydra and the tree) in the conflict, which arose in the second half of the eighteenth century, between the moderate wing (led by Voltaire) and the radical one (led by d’Holbach) of the French philosophical party. The main aim is to show how the choice of these particular metaphorical images it is neither fortuitous nor neutral, but it meets precise objectives. Indeed, if the Herculean monster allows us to highlight the political nature of religion, the poisonous tree is a polemical resemanticization of some biblical figures.