Carlo Cattaneo “Universal Mind”
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Carlo Cattaneo “Universal Mind” Essays by Sergio Romano, Franco Masoni and Pier Carlo Della Ferrera “Universal Mind” Carlo Cattaneo was born in Milan on 15 June ciliatore” in Milan and the Florentine group 1801, the son of Melchiorre, who owned a of Giovan Pietro Vieusseux, in whose “Anto- small goldsmith’s shop, and Maria Antonia logia”, in August 1822, Cattaneo’s first arti- San Giorgio. The second of six children, the cle was published, a review of Romagnosi’s family’s limited financial possibilities meant work, Assunto primo della scienza del diritto that he had to attend seminaries at Arlenico, naturale. Still in this same period, Cattaneo Monza and Milan - where he took courses in came to know some influential men of politics literature, logic and metaphysics - before he from the Canton of Ticino, particularly abandoned his religious studies and enrolled Stefano Franscini, with whom he collaborat- at the S. Alessandro grammar school in ed in translating into Italian, Istoria della Milan. Here, from 1818 to 1819, he took exam- Svizzera pel popolo svizzero by Heinrich inations in religious instruction, universal Zschokke, published in Lugano in 1829-1830. history, mathematics, experimental physical mathematics and theoretical and practical In parallel with his professional activity - philosophy. The following year, he completed which, apart from teaching, involved him in his secondary studies at the grammar school the translation and revision of scholastic texts on Geography and History from the original German - Cattaneo dedicated his time to publishing articles and essays; start- ing from 1835 he became a regular contribu- tor to the “Annali universali di statistica”, a newspaper for which he wrote articles on agronomy, business, finance and linguistics. The second half of the eighteen-thirties marked a crucial point in Cattaneo’s person- al and intellectual life. In November 1835, he married Anna Payne Woodcock, an English noblewoman of Irish origin, whom he had met approximately ten years earlier and who at Porta Nuova, where he further enhanced was a faithful partner to him throughout his Previous page: his already vast and eclectic knowledge with life. In the same year, he gave up teaching Carlo Cattaneo studies in the fields of Latin literature, natur- and devoted himself with ever increasing in a watercolour by Giuseppe Fraschina, al history, and technology. commitment and energy to freelance jour- a colleague of his He then enrolled at the Faculty of Jurispru- nalism. He started to take an interest in the at the Liceo Cantonale dence at the University of Pavia, but never question of railways - his first essay on the in Lugano. The portrait was attended its courses. The death of his father, subject appeared in June 1836 under the title inserted into a copy of which worsened the family’s already difficult Ricerche sul progetto di una strada di ferro Dell’Insurrezione di Milano nel 1848 e della economic situation, forced him, in fact, to da Milano a Venezia – wishing to raise in his successiva guerra. look for work. Having obtained the post of readers not only a purely technical interest, Memorie di Carlo Cattaneo, grammar teacher at the local grammar but also an awareness of the importance of Lugano,Tipografia della school at Santa Marta, Cattaneo took up technological achievements in the economic Svizzera Italiana, 1849 (Lugano, Biblioteca studying law privately, attending the law and social development of a country. Cantonale) school held then in Milan by Gian Domenico This joint and integral vision of technical Romagnosi, the best known lawyer of the problems and social questions formed the Above: Giandomenico time. Romagnosi played a fundamental part basis of “Il Politecnico” , the famous “month- Romagnosi. in Cattaneo’s intellectual and personal devel- ly journal of research applied to prosperity From a drawing by Ernesta Legnani Bisi opment and their relationship gradually grew and social culture”, which, initiated by (Milan, Civica Raccolta into one almost of father and son. Once Cattaneo in 1939, was to become a milestone A. Bertarelli) Romagnosi’s school closed, Cattaneo contin- and essential point of reference for the more Left: ued his university studies on his own and was enterprising exponents of positivist and pro- Cover of the third issue of awarded his degree in law on 19 August 1824. gressive culture in Lombardy. Open to a “Il Politecnico”, 1839 It was in these years that Cattaneo came into broad range of interests, the periodical pub- (Lugano,Archivio contact with some of the most prestigious lished articles by Cattaneo on economics, Storico della Città, Casa Cattaneo) Italian cultural circles of the time: the “Con- demographics, geography and geology, histo- [III] Carlo Cattaneo ry, literature, philosophy, architecture, and It was in these years, in 1844, that one of town planning. Cattaneo’s most significant works, Notizie Between 1840 and 1843, after presenting a naturali e civili su la Lombardia saw the prison reform project developed on mandate light of day, building on a concept arising of the Lombard-Veneto government, Catta- from the initiatives taken for the above men- neo took an active part in the international tioned congress of scientists. Shortly after this, his wide-ranging essay, Sull’ulteriore sviluppo del pubblico insegna- mento in Lombardia appeared, which was a well constructed project on scholastic reform, drawn up in 1848 on behalf of the Istituto Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere . The content of the paper, which was inspired by progressive and democratic principles, in clear contrast with the rigid, reactionary sys- tem of the Habsburg regime, caused the Austrian police to regard it with suspicion and mistrust. More generally, what con- tributed to putting him in a bad light in the eyes of the Imperial Royal government, were the efforts he made to create an awareness of their rights in the minds of the citizens, as well as the expression of his ideas on the gradual winning of political, social and civil debate on the question of penitentiaries. reform, as a prelude to the achieving of inde- Through interventions made at conferences pendence by Lombardy-Veneto within the and conventions as well as the pages of the framework of a federal state. “Politecnico” - in which he published the Thus, during the Five Days of Milan in March collection Di varie opere sulla riforma delle 1848, after an earlier attitude of prudence carceri at the beginning of 1841 - he and caution, Cattaneo allowed himself to expressed himself favourable to the continu- become almost spontaneously involved in the ous segregation of convicts, supporting the events, until finally he fulfilled the role of a so-called Philadelphian system. veritable leader, the charismatic and natural By now numbered among the spearhead inspiration of the Council of War called upon exponents of Milanese culture, he was to organize the revolt. However, his democ- awarded a prestigious appointment in 1843 ratic and republican leanings conflicted with as member of the Lombard Institute of the views of the provisional Government, Sciences, Letters and Arts. In 1844 he was which reflected those of the conservative and called upon to take part in the Commission monarchic Milanese aristocracy, leading for the VI Congress of Scientists, which was them to accept the help of the House of held in the Lombard capital that year, and in Savoia. Forced to flee by the return of the the early months of 1845 he took on the Radetzky troops to the city, after a short stay Frontispiece of office - certainly no less important than in Lugano, Cattaneo departed on 8 August for Ricerche economiche those mentioned above - of Spokesman for Paris; he returned to the banks of the Ceresio sulle interdizioni imposte dalla legge the Società di Incoraggiamento d’Arti e in November of the same year, 1848, settling civile agli Israeliti, Mestieri di Milano. For three years he dedi- there permanently in his house at Castagno- Milan, De Cristoforis, 1836. cated himself totally and intensively every la, where he lived for the rest of his life. The first essay of note day to this institution; Cattaneo saw in the Returning to his work as writer and histori- by Cattaneo, in which he made a SIAM «an ideal continuation of the work car- ographer, he published two works which con- stand against the Law’s ried out for the ‘Politecnico’, also because of stitute basic sources for the history of the severe prescriptions concerning Jews. the presence of many scientists and techni- 1848 revolution in Italy. He waited first for It was blocked by the cians who had joined him in contributing to the draft of Dell’insurrezione di Milano nel censors and came out the first series of the journal», which had 1848 e della successiva guerra, the Italian in 1837 after the removal of one chapter. ceased publication at the beginning of 1845. edition of a volume already published in [IV] “Universal Mind” French in Paris and then collected unpub- held the first of the lessons that were repro- lished materials and documents in his duced in the philosophical essay, La psicolo- Archivio triennale delle cose d’Italia dall’av- gia delle menti associate, which was com- venimento di Pio IX all’abbandono di Venezia, pleted in 1866. which was published between 1850 and 1855 After the success of the expedition of the by the Tipografia Elvetica. The proprietor of Thousand, he joined Giuseppe Garibaldi in the printing shop, Alessandro Repetti, also Naples, but left when he realized that it was a political refugee, became a close friend. impossible to achieve a federalist-republican From 1852 onwards, he also returned to political system. His ideals made him very teaching. He was appointed Head of Philoso- cautious about accepting official appoint- phy at the Canton Grammar School of ments in the ranks of the newly-born Italian Lugano and remained there until 1865, when nation.