Francesco De Sanctis national educator: the work La scienza e la vita ("Science and life") as a cultural and programmatic manifesto

On the basis of numerous and varied archival and printed sources, which retrace the activities of De Sanctis as Minister of Education and as a university professor, the article intends to highlight the nature of his commitment to education; a commitment which was characterized by the need for an education that acts on the intellect and will, and, therefore, is able to shape an individual's personality and character. In this regard, the opening speech in 1872 at the University of Naples has the value of a programmatic text: in La scienza e la vita ("The science and life"), De Sanctis explores the roles and tasks of science in the framework of the project of national education.