Hirschman’s intellectual style, in particular the creative function of "doubting" and "problematism", which inspired what he himself defined as a "propensity to selfsubversion". It traces these traits back to the cultural milieu of his family and in particular to his encounter with Eugenio Colorni, and shows how they were able to inspire Hirschman’s anti-foundational method in the social and economic sciences.
Keywords: Anti-foundationalism, doubt, anti-fascism, Institute for Advanced Study of Princeton, deliberative process