On October 29, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, Professor Amedeo Arena will deliver a talk at the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, titled “The Filangieri-Franklin Correspondence: Visions of Unity for Europe and America.” The presentation will delve into the intellectual dialogue between Gaetano Filangieri, an Italian philosopher of the Enlightenment, and Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the United States. Their correspondence highlights a shared vision of unity based on peace, human rights, and free trade, offering insights relevant to both the formation of the American federation and, almost two centuries later, the process of European integration.
The evening will begin with a welcome address by Antonio Giordano, representing the National Italian American Foundation and the Sbarro Health Research Organization, and Vincenzo Pascale of Long Island University. Elda Buonanno of St. John’s University will provide an introduction entitled “Filangieri’s Naples: A Retrospective,” offering insight into the intellectual and political context in which Filangieri lived and worked.
The talk by Professor Amedeo Arena will highlight how Filangieri’s ideas influenced Franklin and, through him, the early American republic. Filangieri’s advocacy for the rule of law, the reduction of inequality, and the liberalization of trade resonated deeply with the foundational principles of the United States and found parallels in Franklin’s own work. Moreover, the talk will examine how these Enlightenment ideals are still relevant today, providing a historical lens through which we can view the ongoing European integration project and its core values of peace and cooperation.
Amedeo Arena, a Full Professor of European Law at the University of Naples Federico II, is a scholar specializing in European Union law and 18th Century Legal History. His research has been instrumental in uncovering the lesser-known historical links between Italian and American political thought. Arena has curated exhibitions of the Filangieri-Franklin correspondence, which have been displayed at cultural institutions in both Italy and the United States, including the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco and the Italian Consulate General in Philadelphia. His efforts also led to the posthumous recognition of Domenico Cirillo as the first Italian corresponding member of the American Philosophical Society.
The event, during which Amedeo Arena’s edited volume Citizen of All Places, Contemporary of All Ages: The Universality of Gaetano Filangieri’s Thought (Editoriale Scientifica, Naples, 2024) will be presented, is sponsored by the National Italian American Foundation (Dr. A. Kenneth Ciongoli Colloquium), and the Filangieri Academy of Partenope.
“What is the connection between two eighteenth-century intellectuals like Gaetano Filangieri and Benjamin Franklin and the path toward uniting European nations, which began in 1950? I don’t know for certain, but after years of collaboration with Professor Arena, I know he will surprise us. With him, history comes alive. His work is of great value for Italy-USA relations, and as a National Italian American Foundation Board member and CEO of the Sbarro Health Research Organization, a research institute on chronic diseases active in both Italy and the United States, I hold scholars like Professor Arena in the highest regard, as his research strengthens the bond between Italian and American cultures,” stated Antonio Giordano.
“Presenting the depth of Gaetano Filangieri’s work and its connection with the philosophical and social principles of Benjamin Franklin’s America enriches the reader’s understanding of the Neapolitan philosopher’s role within the fields of legal, philosophical, and political studies, highlighting the fundamental role of eighteenth-century Naples. The work carried out by scholars like Professor Arena is highly important because it also underscores the generous and dynamic nature that the city of Naples has always held within the Italian and international context,” declared Elda Buonanno.
“Exactly 225 years ago, on October 29, 1799, Neapolitan Enlightenment thinkers Domenico Cirillo and Mario Pagano, close friends of Gaetano Filangieri, were executed after a summary trial for their participation in the Neapolitan Republic. But their ideas of liberty and progress did not die with them. Like seeds scattered by the wind, they took root in various times and places. With this gathering at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York, we aim to foster reflection on the universality of these ideals, in the hope that they may inspire those in power,” added Amedeo Arena.
Professor Antonio Giordano, M.D., Ph.D., is the creator and head of the Sbarro Health Research Organization, located at Temple University's College of Science and Technology in Philadelphia. Stay connected with him through his various social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, to receive the latest updates.
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