George Caruana
Encyclopedia
George Caruana was a Maltese minor philosopher mostly interested in epistemology. He held the Chair of Philosophy at the University of Malta
(1859-72).
, and then at the Gregorian University in Rome
, Italy
, from where he graduated as Doctor of Ecclesiastical Studies. Back in the Maltese islands, in 1858 Caruana was appointed Rector at the bishop’s seminary of Malta
. Here he taught philosophy and mathematics
. A few months later, in 1859, he was appointed Professor of the Chair of Philosophy at the University of Malta
. His teaching compliments here were various: intellectual philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysics
. During the same time, he was also member of the Committee of the National Library of Malta
. Caruana occupied the Chair of Philosophy for thirteen years, until his premature death. He died on May 27, 1872. His funeral oration was delivered by fellow-philosopher Saviour Cumbo
.
Caruana deals with a number of themes, namely, knowledge, truth, nature, conscience, sensibility, imagination, intellect, intuition, judgement, discourse, memory, words, and such like subjects. All are discussed in a philosophically clear and argumentative way.
University of Malta
The University of Malta is the highest educational institution in Malta Europe and is one of the most respected universities in Europe. The University offers undergraduate Bachelor's Degrees, postgraduate Master's Degrees and postgraduate Doctorates .-History:The University of Malta was founded in...
(1859-72).
Life
Caruana was a diocesan priest. He was born in Victoria, Gozo in 1831, and dedicated his relatively short life to academic work. He studied at the bishop’s seminary in GozoGozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
, and then at the Gregorian University in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, from where he graduated as Doctor of Ecclesiastical Studies. Back in the Maltese islands, in 1858 Caruana was appointed Rector at the bishop’s seminary of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. Here he taught philosophy and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. A few months later, in 1859, he was appointed Professor of the Chair of Philosophy at the University of Malta
University of Malta
The University of Malta is the highest educational institution in Malta Europe and is one of the most respected universities in Europe. The University offers undergraduate Bachelor's Degrees, postgraduate Master's Degrees and postgraduate Doctorates .-History:The University of Malta was founded in...
. His teaching compliments here were various: intellectual philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
. During the same time, he was also member of the Committee of the National Library of Malta
National Library of Malta
The National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. Caruana occupied the Chair of Philosophy for thirteen years, until his premature death. He died on May 27, 1872. His funeral oration was delivered by fellow-philosopher Saviour Cumbo
Saviour Cumbo
Saviour Cumbo was a Maltese theologian and minor philosopher. His philosophical writings deal mainly with the relationship between reason and faith. Though his engagement with philosophical reflection was peripheral, his contribution in this field was at least interesting and at most insightful...
.
Extant work
Only one work of Caruana is as yet known to exist. It is simply called Filosofia (Philosophy). The work is still in manuscript form. It is written in Italian, and contains 184 folios in Caruana’s own handwriting. The document is divided into an introduction, chapters, and paragraphs.Caruana deals with a number of themes, namely, knowledge, truth, nature, conscience, sensibility, imagination, intellect, intuition, judgement, discourse, memory, words, and such like subjects. All are discussed in a philosophically clear and argumentative way.
Sources
- Mark Montebello, Il-Ktieb tal-Filosofija f’Malta (A Source Book of Philosophy in Malta), PIN Publications, Malta, 2001.