A philosopher, journalist and Professor of Moral Philosophy of La Sapienza University of Rome, he is director of MicroMega, a Europe-wide publication and a key reference of political, cultural, social and economic thought. In 2002, he participated in the Italian civil movement of the girotondi in support of the values of democracy and legality in response to Berlusconi’s politics. He is a militant atheist and engaged in a debate with Joseph Ratzinger – before he became Pope Benedict XVI – which appeared in book form with the title Dio esiste? (2006 – Does God Exist?), published in Spanish as ¿Dios existe? (Espasa Calpe, 2008). He is a regular contributor to such publications as El País, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Gazeta Wyborcza and Il Fatto Quotidiano. Notable among his recent books are Il sovrano e il dissidente ovvero la democrazia presa sul serio (Garzanti, 2004), which was published in Catalan as El sobirà i el dissident (The Sovereign and the Dissident – Pagès Editors, 2005) and the co-authored work, published in Spanish as ¿Ateos o creyentes? (Atheists or Believers, Paidós, 2009).
