The Mystery of the Neonatal Smile

Pedagogical, Philosophical and Psychological Interpretations

Abstract

This paper discusses the topic of smile moving from the analysis proposed by Antonio Rosmini in his unfinished work Del principio supremo della Metodica e di alcune sue applicazioni in servigio dell’umana educazione (composed between 1839 and 1840). Starting from Rosmini’s pages, the paper explores some fruitful comparisons with other pedagogical-philosophical and psychological reflections, touching on disciplines such as ethology and biology (for instance, on the problem of ontogenesis).