Giuseppe Sergi was an Italian anthropologist. His international notoriety is linked to his proposal to replace the cephalic index with the morphological analysis of the cranium in the anthropological classifications and to his rejection of the theory of the existence of a pure Aryan Nordic race. He also helped to broaden the knowledge of Herbert Spencer in Italy, editing the Italian version of the British philosopher’s
The Study of Sociology(1881a) and
The Data of Ethics(1881b).
In 1860 Sergi interrupted his university studies in law to participate in the Italian Risorgimento alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi. After this experience, he resumed his university studies, graduating, however, in philosophy, with a thesis on the persistence of Greek-Pythagorean doctrines in Italian philosophy.
2172 words
Citation: Tedesco, Luca. "Giuseppe Sergi". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 September 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14098, accessed 21 November 2024.]