Capograssi, imperdonabile

When reviewing the history of early twentieth century thought, it is not uncommon to read reflections concerning the crisis of contemporary states. Less frequent – but not unheard of – is coming across meditations regarding the very end of the state. Among the latter, those of Giuseppe Capograssi (1889-1956) stand out like a lightning flash, for the eschatological meaning they flare upon the relationship between statehood and the law. «All true research on the state is a profound meditation on its ending», he writes concluding the introduction of his first book in 1918. Like a seal yet to be broken, the claim envelops Capograssi's thought and invites readers to unravel the riddle of his jurisprudence. The article breaks that seal to show how – reflecting on the state’s ending – Capograssi understood religion to be the fulfilment of legal experience.