The Originary Structure (La struttura originaria, 1958)
is the foundation of Italian philosopher Emanuele
Severino's thought, the starting point that establishes
and recognizes the essential tenets of the
incontrovertibility and necessity of the 'truth of being'.
The first book written by Severino, it lays out the logical
structure that underlies the philosophical development
of his thought for the next six decades. According
to Severino himself, it constitutes the ground as part
of which all his subsequent writings receive their
own meaning - first and foremost because it aims to
articulate the structure of the appearing and meaning
of everything that is and appears, according to a logic
that should prove itself unable to be refuted by any
(non-) philosophical discourse. This book presents
the fundamental determinations of a philosophical
discourse that cannot be refuted, to the extent that
any such refutation would itself be grounded in the
discourse to be refuted. It is on the basis of this logical
structure that Severino is able to exhibit the necessity
of his most challenging claim - that of the eternity of
every being.
One of the most singular philosophical works written
in the 20th century, The Originary Structure plays an
irreplaceable role in the system of Severino's writings.