A series of recent experimental studies have cast doubt on the existence of a traditional tension that aestheticians have noted in our aesthetic judgments and practices, viz. the problem of taste. The existence of the problem has been acknowledged since Hume and Kant, though not enough has been done to analyse it in depth. In this paper, we remedy this by proposing six possible conceptualizations of it. Drawing on our analysis of the problem of taste, we argue that the experimental (...) results in question are not a real challenge to its existence. By contrast, they provide empirical evidence in its support. (shrink)

In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to the underrepresentation, exclusion or outright discrimination experienced by women and members of other visible minority groups in academic philosophy. Much of this debate has focused on the state of contemporary Anglophone philosophy, which is dominated by the tradition of analytic philosophy. Moreover, there is growing interest in academia and society more generally for issues revolving around linguistic justice and linguistic discrimination (sometimes called ‘linguicism’ or ‘languagism’) (see e.g. Van Parijs 2011). Globalization (...) and the increasing adoption of English as global linguistic vehicle or lingua franca push these issues at the forefront of much of the world’s attention. The convergence of these two trends suggests the appropriateness of an analysis of the condition of non-native speakers of English in analytic philosophy. (shrink)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so we are told. Filippo Contesi, Enrico Terrone, Marta Campdelacreu and Genoveva Martí argue that the traditional view in philosophy of art is that, whilst most of us claim to believe that beauty is subjective, we actually act as though it is objective. The true problem of aesthetics then, is not whether or not we believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but why our behaviour around (...) beauty doesn’t match up with our stated beliefs. Beauty, it seems, is more than skin-deep. (shrink)

ABSTRACT Amongst the Italian exiles who arrived at the Canton of Ticino following repression perpetrated by the Di Rudinì and Pelloux administrations – after the popular uprisings of 1898 – are Enrico Bignami, Giuseppe Rensi and Arcangelo Ghisleri, who, in Lugano, created a sort of secular symposium for fostering spiritual values. This gave birth to Coenobium, the ‘international journal of independent studies’, which remained in operation between 1906 and 1919. This periodical distinguished itself due to the diversity of the (...) issues addressed: from science to law, from history to philosophy, from literature to spiritualism, philosophy and psychology. With the beginning of the First World War, however, Coenobium’s focus was on the spiral of violence triggered by the war; hence a series of denunciations entrusted to the column ‘War to war!’, which marked a dramatic change in the editorial policy of the magazine edited by Bignami, who was determined to turn it into a strong instrument of pacifist propaganda. Several prestigious figures in Europe’s cultural and political milieus participated in this venture, notably Norman Angell, Romain Rolland, Angelo Crespi, Raffaele Ottolenghi, Claudio Treves, Filippo Turati, Henri La Fontaine, Nicholas Murray Butler and Enrico Bignami. (shrink)

This article explores Futurist technophilia and some more or less latent technophobia, in the period after 1918. Fuelled by the economic and industrial advancements of the so-called “Giolittian age,” as well as an extensive employment of war technology in the First World War, the Futurist technological imagination remains both robust and wide-ranging in the postwar period. Resonant of nineteenth-century French and Italian literary traditions, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti's official position clusters round the powerful, if hackneyed, images of the steam train (...) and the motorcar. A number of fellow Futurists, however, explore technology in more original and, in some cases, more persuasive fashions. From the technology of flying employed first-hand by Fedele Azari to Enrico Prampolini's mechanical applications on the European stage, from Anton Giulio Bragaglia's experimental cinema to Ivo Pannaggi's and Vinicio Paladini's technological rebirth in marxian key, the Futurists' approach to technology is characterised throughout by a problematic counterpoint of modernity and tradition. If the Futurist officialdom ultimately relies on the latter, numerous alternative experiences testify to their vibrant strife towards the former. (shrink)

The main source of perplexity raised by Leibniz’s (mathematical) argument against the soul of the world stems from the idea that it is the infinity of the universe that precludes it from having a soul. But if this is so, how is it possible that organic bodies, which, having infinitely many parts, are also infinite, are endowed with a soul? The present paper aims to provide a new solution to this puzzle. The solution explains the difference between the body and (...) the universe by looking at how their respective parts are arranged. It is the arrangement of the parts of the body that allows a body to be divided into infinitely many parts whilst, at the same time, having a finite magnitude. By contrast, the way in which the alleged parts of the world are arranged makes it impossible that the world has a finite magnitude: the world cannot be a whole, and so it cannot have a soul. The consequence is that it does not matter how many parts bodies have, but only that they have a finite magnitude. In this case, bodies respect the Part-Whole Principle (the whole is bigger than any of its proper parts) and therefore can be described as finite wholes with parts. (shrink)

In the famous ‘Fragment on Machines’ of the ‘Grundrisse’, Marx points out how social or collective knowledge (the ‘general intellect’) has become a ‘direct force of production’ through its embodiment into technical devices. The rhetorical wording ‘artificial intelligence’, with its own misleading anthropomorphic connotations, looks, from a Marxist perspective, the apex of this process in which knowledge becomes the core of the fixed capital that ideally must be re-appropriated by the workers. In this context, AI Art appears as one of (...) the many expressions of the commodification of the collective knowledge in which, for using the expression of Guy Debord, ‘all that was once lived has moved into representation for being commodified’. However, the progressive availability of AI tools for generating art also opens the doors to a ‘detournement’ strategy by allowing a decolonization of the artistic scenario in which each of us becomes the ‘author’ without being the author. Maybe in future, rather than asking ‘who is the author?’ we will find ourselves asking ‘what is the author?’. A move of this kind achieves automatically the ‘death of the author’, with the corresponding subversion of the notions of artistic intention, authorship, and genius, while disrupting the present commodification process behind the artistic ecosystem, in a fashion beyond the best intentions of Walter Benjamin’s ‘Art in the age of mechanical reproduction’. This move is ultimately disruptive from a metaphysical point of view as well to the extent that the human centrality is dispossessed by the recognition of forms of creativity different from our own creativity. (shrink)

The myth in Plotinus is a constitutive element of his metaphysics, as it is present in several treatises of the Enneads as an element aimed at justifying certain metaphysical theses through recourse to an analogy with the ancient tradition. In the case of the divine triad Ouranos‑Kronos‑Zeus, the relationship is extremely problematic since, from a Platonic perspective, these figures relate to two dialogues in particular : the Cratylus and the Timaeus. Regarding the Cratylus, the greatest difficulty for Plotinus lies in (...) matching the Socratic etymological method with the actual nature of the hypostases. From this point of view, the role of Ouranos appears particularly problematic since the very nature of the first principle is incompatible with Platonic etymology. As far as the Timaeus is concerned, a fundamental role is that of Zeus as demiurge, which respects all the problematic nature of the Plotinian perspective, which is unable to precisely delineate the role of the demiurge, for which Zeus is twofold : Intellect and Soul. It thus emerges how the role of the Cratylus and Timaeus are merely strategic for Plotinus, called upon only to justify his metaphysical theses. The myth thus has the role of justifying an analogy between the metaphysics of hypostasis and the archaic tradition, but it presents problems of interpretative oscillation that Plotinus himself does not seem able to resolve. (shrink)

The productive impacts of cash transfer (CT) programs have not been widely studied, though interest in this area is growing, with existing evidence generally pointing to rather positive findings. Notably, one key takeaway from the (limited) available research is the debunking of a common criticism drawn against cash transfers and social assistance, more in general – namely, the assumption that social programs disincentivize or discourage work. Even less is known about the sustainability of CT impacts, as these interventions are typically (...) designed as short-term programs. To address this gap, we conducted a quasi-experimental study of a universal unconditional cash transfer initiative in rural Uganda. Our study examined whether effects on savings, debt, investment, incomes, assets and labour allocation (if any) persisted after the end of the transfer. Despite the concurrent outbreak of COVID-19, our findings revealed several sustained impacts, particularly on savings, (agricultural) incomes and business ownership. (shrink)

The World Wide Web has been a fundamental part of our daily lives for years. Its algorithmic framework ensnares our online journeys in an “endless recurrence” of the “same” by creating multiple filter bubbles. Digital algorithms establish a precise “order of discourse,” leaving little to no room for deviation. Functioning as a colossal machinic apparatus, the web embodies the culmination of Artificial Intelligence (AI), transforming every piece of posted content into a database that profiles our online behavior and activities. This (...) article explores whether approaches that describe everyday human communication, such as the theories of relevance developed by Alfred Schutz, or by Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson, can be applied to the realm of digital algorithmic grammars governing the web, and to the semiospheres that animate it. The conclusions raise some doubts: a gap exists between algorithmic language and its historical counterparts, characterized by a disparity between logical-mathematical grammar and other linguistic-historical-natural ones. While these two types of languages coexist within the digital landscape, their relevance differs; what may be “relevant” in an algebraic context may not necessarily translate to our live conversational exchanges, and vice versa. Although merged in the digital sphere, these languages operate distinctly, and proficiency in one does not guarantee adeptness in interpreting the other accurately. (shrink)

Name der Zeitschrift: Klio Jahrgang: 98 Heft: 1 Seiten: 343-346.

[ES] El así llamado «regreso de la filosofía práctica», empezado en 1960 por H. G. Gadamer con su Wahrheit und Methode, ha provocado a menudo confusión entre la auténtica filosofía práctica de Aristóteles y la virtud que él llama phronêsis o sabiduría. En efecto, éstas representan dos formas de conocimiento muy diferentes. La sabiduría es la virtud de la razón práctica que consiste en la habilidad de deliberar correctamente, es decir en la habilidad de identificar la acción más adecuada para (...) realizar un buen fin. Al revés, la filosofía práctica es una ciencia, o sea un hábito de razón teórica, a pesar de ser una ciencia práctica, que tiene su fin en la buena acción y tiene un nivel de rigor inferior a aquello de las ciencias teóricas. La filosofía práctica es la ciencia del supremo bien para el hombre, es decir la felicidad —el pleno florecimiento de todas las capacidades humanas—, la cual se determina por medio de la discusión dialéctica con las tesis de varios filósofos. [EN] The so called «revival of practical philosophy», started in 1960 by H.G. Gadamer with his Wahrheit und Methode, has often provoked a confusion between the authentic practical philosophy of Aristotle and the virtue he calls phronêsis or wisdom. Actually, they represent two forms of knowledge very different. Wisdom is the virtue of practical reason which consists in the ability of correctly deliberate, that is in the ability of individuating the action more suitable for realizing a good end. On the contrary, practical philosophy is a science, that is an habit of theoretical reason, even if it is a practical science, which has its end in the good action and has a degree of rigour inferior to that of theoretical sciences. Practical philosophy is the science of the supreme good for man, that is happiness —the full flourishing of all human capabilities —, which is determined by means of a dialectical discussion with the thesis of the various philosophers. (shrink)

Transition has not always been a success story. In some cases failure was due to the introduction of topdown legislature, which was not always compatible with the existing informal rules of the game. In other cases transition was just a euphemism for a fight for power with little substantial change.Still, most Western analysts indulged in analysing all East-European economies according to a rather standard pattern. This paper explains this approach by referring to the need to maintain rentseeking policies in the (...) West, to create new rents in the East. Western governments complied with the constructivistic view willingly, especially in the EU area, for social engineering was instrumental in order to acquire and expand consensus on the principles of state interference.La transition n’a pas toujours été une réussite. Dans certains cas, les échecs ont été dus à l’ instauration d’un corps législatif directif souvent incompatible avec les règles de jeu informelles. Dans d’autres cas, la transition fut un simple euphémisme pour une lutte pour le pouvoir, peu susceptible de donner lieu à des changements significatifs.De plus, la plupart des chercheurs occidentaux ont analysé les économies de l’Europe de l’Est avec les outils du modèle néoclassique standard. L’auteur explique cette orientation en invoquant la volonté de maintenir les politiques de recherche de rente à l’Ouest, et d’en créer de nouvelles à l’Est. Les gouvernements occidentaux ont volontairement cédé à une vision constructiviste, notamment dans la zone de l’Union Européenne, car l’ingénierie sociale a été un instrument majeur dans la réalisation et l’extension du consensus autour des principes d’interventions étatiques. (shrink)

COVID-19 has brought to light the severity of economic inequalities by testing the capacity of the poorest families to make ends meet. Food insecurity has in fact soared all over the UK, with many people forced to rely on food support providers to not go hungry. This paper uses a unique dataset on 55 food support organizations active in Greater Manchester during the first COVID-19 wave, and 41 semi-structured interviews with food aid spokespersons and stakeholders, to shed light on what (...) they overcame, the complications and drawbacks of the food emergency response plan put in place. The results indicate that food aid organizations that remained open were surprisingly effective despite the growth in user demand and the decrease in volunteers. However, the necessity to maintain a timely supply food at all costs came with important drawbacks. The lockdown measures that followed COVID-19 not only affected the financial stability and management of the organizations, and the availability of food, but undermined the ways in which food support providers used to operate. Owing to physical distancing measures and to the increasing numbers of users, more or less intangible forms of support such as financial advice, empathic listening and human warmth were partially lost, probably when they were needed more than ever. (shrink)

Medeiros et al. implement a mixed methods approach to explore the mechanisms underlying individual transformation during mindfulness-based interventions. We provide critiques, questions and ….

L'arte è l'espressione intima--ma concepita per essere condivisa--della sensibilità di alcuni individui che avvertono l'urgenza di manifestare il proprio sentire rispetto al reale, o al non-reale. Gli artisti e, di conseguenza, le loro opere non possono non accogliere le sollecitazioni provenienti dall'attualità che li anima elaborando le complessità del mondo contemporaneo. È quindi necessario intrecciare come in una mappa neuronale lo studio delle opere d'arte con altre discipline, come antropologia, filosofia, biologia, perché una più ampia libertà di indagine consente di (...) strutturare con maggiore armonia la storia e la critica d'arte. Realizzare dialoghi plurimi permetterà così una visione più piena e approfondita dell'arte stessa."--Back cover. (shrink)

The metaphysical system of Numenius of Apamea is structured according to an onto-theological hierarchy, which presents three levels of reality that Numenius calls “Gods”. Even though the role of the first and the second God is of paramount importance in the metaphysics of Numenius, the third God, which is also defined “cosmos”, has a troublesome ontological status. According to Numenius, the cosmos has “dianoetic thought” since his nature derives from the “encounter” of two metaphysical principles: the demiurge and the matter. (...) My investigation starts from the testimony of Proclus and then it focuses on Eusebius’ Praeparatio Evangelica, in which he quotes directly some passages from the work of Numenius On the Good. My goal in this article is to show that Numenius conceives the third God not as the cosmos in a material sense, but rather as the rational principle which rules the universe. In this respect, the discursive intellect and the divine nature of the cos- mos seem to fit well together. The main question, however, concerns the possibility that Numenius understands the presence (or the identification) of the cosmos with a World Soul. My purpose is to show that even though Numenius does not define the third God explicitly as a “Soul”, its rational principle works as a Soul. Finally, I try to show that this conception of third God by Numenius lays the ground for the Plotinian concept of the Third Hypostasis. (shrink)

L'article s'interroge sur la tradition française en matière d'épistémologie et analyse la réaction du milieu philosophique du début du xxe siècle face à la crise des acquis philosophiques traditionnels provoquée par le développement des sciences. Les interventions au premier congrès international de Philosophie de 1900 montrent que la philosophie essaie de continuer à exercer une hégémonie sur les sciences, mais que, pour réagir à la crise, elle doit s'engager dans l'histoire des sciences. L'histoire des sciences devient alors le moyen employé (...) par la philosophie pour essayer de garder sa place privilégiée dans l'ensemble du savoir: elle est donc faite par des philosophes qui, de ce fait, en contrôlent les lieux institutionnels. Il devient dès lors possible de tracer une ligne qui relie les questions des philosophes de 1900 à celles qui préoccupent ceux de l'entre-deux-guerres, notamment Gaston Bachelard. (shrink)