Paolo Virno

Paolo Virno
Born(1952-05-14)14 May 1952
Naples, Italy
Died7 November 2025(2025-11-07) (aged 73)
Philosophical work
EraContemporary philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
School
Main interestsPolitical philosophy, semiotics, post-Fordism, theory of subjectivity, materialism, communication ethics
Notable ideasThe flourishing of the general intellect in post-Fordist capitalism

Paolo Virno (/ˈvɜːrn/; Italian: [ˈvirno]; 14 May 1952 – 7 November 2025) was an Italian philosopher, semiologist and a figurehead for the Italian Marxist movement. Implicated in belonging to illegal social movements during the 1960s and 1970s, Virno was arrested and jailed in 1979, accused of belonging to the Red Brigades. He spent several years in prison before finally being acquitted, after which he organized the publication Luogo Comune (Italian for "commonplace") in order to vocalize the political ideas, he developed during his imprisonment. At the time of his death, Virno was teaching philosophy at the University of Rome.