Verso una sociologia dell'incanto

This essay explores the concept of enchantment from both a theoretical and empirical perspective, aiming to outline — drawing on relevant literature — a sociological theory of enchantment. Starting from the observation of the paradoxical coexistence of material progress and symbolic and spiritual impoverishment, the essay challenges the dominant narrative of disenchantment that has deeply shaped the social sciences. Drawing on the contributions of authors such as Charles Taylor, Hartmut Rosa, Peter Berger, Hans Joas, and Byung-Chul Han, the essay advances the hypothesis that, even within secularized societies, experiences of enchantment persist — and in some cases regenerate — as relational, symbolic, and affective forms of connection with a world perceived as alive, meaningful, and not entirely subject to human control.\r\nEnchantment is defined as a lived encounter with forces or entities experienced as having intrinsic meaning and agency, resisting reduction to purely instrumental or rational explanation. Such encounter produces a sense of “fullness” and “resonance”, which translates into motivational and affective energy. The essay explores three key shifts enabled by enchantment — ontological, epistemological, and ethical — that redefine the human relationship with the world. The central part of the essay analyzes two international empirical studies conducted in the scientific field, traditionally considered both a product and an agent of disenchantment. Through in–depth interviews with scientists, a rich landscape of wonder, awe, and deep connection with the cosmos\r\n2\r\nemerges, revealing how scientific practice can be imbued with existential and symbolic significance.\r\nThe essay thus proposes a reinterpretation of science not only as a technical enterprise but also as a potential vehicle for enchantment. Enchantment is presented as a theoretical resource to rethink the imaginary of modernity and as a practical resource to regenerate symbolic, ethical, and social energies capable of reorienting action in a world marked by crises of meaning, alienation, and existential uncertainty.