Gaetanus Matthew Perez
Gaetanus Matthew Perez | |
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Born | |
Occupation | Philosophy |
Gaetanus Matthew Perez (18th century) was a minor Maltese philosopher. His area of specialisation in philosophy was chiefly ethics.[1] No portrait of Perez is known to exist so far.
Life
Absolutely nothing is yet known about Perez’ personal life.
Work
Just one work, and a very interesting one at that, survives from Perez’ hand. It is a publication in Italian which bears the title: Dissertazione Filosofico-Morale sullo Stato Amichevole (A Philosophical-Moral Study on Friendship)., is made up of only twelve pages. Nevertheless, the content of the study is quite unusual for Perez’ time.
The booklet contains a long epistle addressed to Abbot Joseph Raiberti of Nissa, the Conventual Chaplain of the
First Perez discusses friendship on the level of individuals. This relationship is then explored as a model and foundation of political and social life. Perez makes it quite clear that, to his mind, personal friendship is the essential condition from which peace, justice, and a nation’s progress begin, and on which they are based.
References
Sources
- Mark Montebello, Il-Ktieb tal-Filosofija f’Malta (A Source Book of Philosophy in Malta), PIN Publications, Malta, 2001.