Dallessere

Dallessere is a term used in speculative philosophy and science fiction to describe the deliberate removal or suspension of essence from an entity, so that it can be considered or encountered without relying on predefined essential traits. It functions as both a methodological stance and a fictional device, enabling analysis or storytelling that challenges fixed categories such as identity, function, or moral status.

Its etymology is Italian; dall’essere means “from being,” and the coinage combines dall’ (from the) with essere (to be). The term is usually encountered as a scholarly neologism or a narrative concept, rather than as a widely standardized doctrine.

Origins of dallessere lie in contemporary debates on ontology, phenomenology, and anti-essentialist critique. It has appeared in Italian philosophical discourse and in speculative fiction since the early 21st century, often as a thought experiment or a world-building tool rather than a formal school of thought.

Conceptually, dallessere has two linked senses. As a methodological approach, it involves stripping away essential predicates to reveal contingent or relational properties that usually go unnoticed. As a hypothetical state or device, it envisions circumstances in which an entity’s essential characteristics are suspended or removed, allowing new modes of interaction or perception.

Applications occur in both philosophy and fiction. In philosophy, dallessere is used to examine how much of identity, agency, or value depends on assumed essences. In fiction, it can enable plots where beings or artifacts operate without prior history or defined essence, exploring questions of autonomy and sameness.

Reception is mixed. Proponents view dallessere as a useful tool for challenging essentialist biases, while critics worry that the concept can be vague or overgeneralized without careful specification.