Edited by Andrea Gatti

Maurice Ashley-Cooper; Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesburyby John Closterman (died 1711) | (photo Wikimedia)

The idea of the sensus communis is something of a crossroads for many cultural issues and practices in eighteenth-century Europe. It was at the heart of aesthetic, moral, political, religious, educational and legal concerns. Conceived as an inner sensibility or a sense of belonging to a community under the aegis of a set of common values, the sensus communis was one of the main themes of the investigations into human nature of 18th century authors such as Shaftesbury, Voltaire, Vico, Hume, Kant, Herder and others. At the same time, it inspired a whole series of cultural operations that referred to the idea of a collective taste that cultural operators sought to encounter, stimulate and educate. From this perspective, the idea of the sensus communis not only further defines the modern idea of the individual, but also sheds light on the heterogeneous genres and new cultural practices that emerged in the eighteenth century, on the then dominant notions of audience and ‘cultural industry’, and on the emergence of an unprecedented philosophy of the ‘spectator’.

The deadline for submissions is 31 December 2024.

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«Diciottesimo Secolo» is the official international open access journal of the Società Italiana di Studi sul Secolo XVIII (SISSD). It is committed to hosting critical debates covering a full range of eighteenth century subjects: from literature to history, from law to religion, from philosophy to science, from anthropology to the fine arts, from linguistics to ethics, from theatre to music. It is also intended as an instrument for providing updated information about current Italian research in eighteenth-century studies. Published annually and double blind peer reviewed, the journal is divided into three sections: “Essays”, “Critical Notes” and “Reviews”.