[12] In 2011, Bubbio received an ARC Future Fellowship and joined Western Sydney University, first as a Senior Lecturer and later as an Associate Professor in philosophy.

Bubbio’s philosophy can be characterized by his emphasis on “kenotic thought”, a multifaceted philosophical proposal that integrates themes of sacrifice, perspectivism, mediated objectivity, and ethical responsibility.

Bubbio analyses key thinkers in the Kantian and post-Kantian tradition (Kant, Solger, Hegel, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche), and concludes that kenotic sacrifice involves the act of “withdrawing” and relinquishing the claim to absolute objectivity to “make room” for other points of view.

A dialogue between Bubbio and Vattimo[18] reveals their alignment but also significant differences in their philosophical perspectives, particularly regarding their approaches to hermeneutics and metaphysics.

Bubbio’s approach emerges as more constructive compared to Vattimo’s deconstructive tendencies, advocating a more stable framework where multiple perspectives coexist through conscious acts of self-limitation.

Bubbio highlights the active aspect of the Hegelian notion of Entäußerung (externalization), arguing that the dialectic between interiorisation and externalisation enables the recollection and transformation of memories of struggles in the pursuit of justice.

[19] In Hegel, Heidegger, and the Quest for the 'I': Prolegomena to a Philosophy of Self, Bubbio’s philosophical proposal to move beyond traditional dichotomies and embrace a relational and intersubjective account of the self represents a further application of his kenotic thought.

Bubbio challenges prevailing models of identity and agency, offering a relational and intersubjective account of the self to address the complexities of the contemporary world.

In the conclusion, Bubbio delineates a unified theory of “I-hood” as a multifaceted, dynamic, and intersubjective process, irreducible to impersonal conceptions.

Such a perspective fosters a sense of ethical responsibility towards the environment, where the recognition of the interconnectedness of all life forms leads to more sustainable and respectful practices.

The first part is a revised translation of a short book originally published in Italian in 1999: the central thesis here is that philosophy and religion can be regarded as subjects involved in a mimetic rivalry on the intellectual level.

According to Bubbio, HMT can solve some of the internal problems of mimetic theory in its original version, and at the same time it can offer a meaningful contribution to the development of a new paradigm of the “I”.