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Existe una vasta literatura sobre el concepto de ‘ideología lingüística’ y los especialistas por lo general están de acuerdo en definirlo como un conjunto de ideas que sostienen los miembros de una comunidad sobre la función del lenguaje en la comunidad. No obstante, los especialistas mismos comúnmente no están de acuerdo si estas ideas son explícitas o implícitas. Los puntos diversos sobre este aspecto implican diferentes metodologías, a saber, el análisis de consideraciones explícitas sobre el lenguaje, en el primer caso; y en el segundo caso de materiales más variados. Una mejor opción consiste en distinguir creencias explícitas de supuestos implícitos. Mientras que en el primer caso el estudio se debe hacer por medio de métodos sociológicos o etnosociológicos, en el segundo el estudio se hace a través de la semiótica: los discursos que se producen en una comunidad se consideran como signos de supuestos implícitos que dicha comunidad tiene sobre el lenguaje. Este artículo hace un estudio de caso: la ideología semiótica subyacente a la desmentida en el discurso político italiano contemporáneo. A vast literature exists on the concept of “linguistic ideology.” Scholars generally agree on defining it as a set of ideas that the members of a community hold about the role of language in the community. Nevertheless, scholars generally disagree on whether these ideas are explicit or implicit. Different views on this point imply different methodologies: the analysis of explicit considerations on language in the first case, that of a more multifarious material in the second one. However, excluding implicit ideas from the analysis is too restrictive. A better option is to distinguish between explicit beliefs and implicit assumptions. Whereas the first ones must be studied through socio- or ethno-logical methods, the second ones must be studied through semiotics: the discourses that are produced in a community are considered as signs of implicit assumptions that such community holds about language. The paper deals with a case-study: the semiotic ideology behind denegation in the contemporary Italian political discourse.

none 1 si none mixed Paolo Savoia Paolo Savoia

none 1 si ‘Mathematics is the science of the infinite, its goal the symbolic comprehension of the infinite with human, that is finite, means.’ Along this line, in The Open World, Hermann Weyl contrasted the desire to make the infinite accessible through finite processes, which underlies any theoretical investigation of reality, with the intuitive feeling for the infinite ‘peculiar to the Orient,’ which remains ‘indifferent to the concrete manifold of reality.’ But a critical analysis may acknowledge a valuable dialectical opposition. Struggling to spell out the infinity of real numbers mathematicians come to see the active role of emptiness. Pondering over the essence of self-awareness, the Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitarō comes to see the ‘place’ where it abides as absolute nothingness. Thus, the two ways of seeing coalesce into a perspective in which infinity and nothingness mirror each other. mixed Rossella Lupacchini Rossella Lupacchini

International audience; En Italie, la demande de personnel dans les secteurs à forte intensité de main-d’œuvre, tels que le textile, l’habillement et la chaussure, a diminué en raison des délocalisations de ces activités. Dans le même temps, les gouvernements italiens ont progressivement reporté l’âge de la retraite, mais sans modification structurelle des politiques actives du marché du travail. Aussi, pour les travailleuses plus âgées ayant un faible niveau d’éducation, le risque est de connaître une instabilité du revenu jusqu’à la retraite et une pension de retraite réduite. En mobilisant une cinquantaine d’entretiens auprès de travailleuses âgées licenciées, de partenaires sociaux, de représentants politiques et de fonctionnaires, nous analysons la condition de ces travailleuses et les facteurs qui freinent leur intégration dans le marché du travail.

Chinese Buddhism entered a “revival” era since the 1980s, an era that brings changes to religious life, distanciating itself from the past in a modernization attempt, while maintaining a deep connection to tradition. Pushou temple (普寿寺), which opened in 1991 on mount Wutai (五台山) in China, is caught in the middle of these metamorphosis processes. This model temple, the largest institution for Buddhist nuns in mainland China, also hosts an Institute for Buddhist studies (中国五台山尼众佛学院). It chose to specialize in areas such as monastic discipline, education, and philanthropy, and in doing so launched the “Three-Plus-One” project (“三加一” 僧伽教育工程) in 2006 in cooperation with Dacheng temple (大乘寺), the Bodhi Love Association (菩提爱心协会), and the Qingtai retirement home (清泰安养园). According to Rurui (如瑞, 1957- ), the abbess of Pushou temple, the head of the Institute for Buddhist studies, and at the origin of the project, these three aspects are essential to monasticism : cultivation is at the base of saṅgha education, education is an insurance on the future, and philanthropy a “skilful means”. Making these features coexist can be seen as a strategy devised by Pushou temple to “produce” Buddhism according to the expectations of the monastic and lay communities, society, and the state. From an ethnographic perspective, this research examines how this particular temple participates in China’s religious and social life, and how contemporary Buddhism is redefined within this temple. This research aims at better understanding the movements of institutional Buddhism in the context of contemporary mainland China.; Le bouddhisme chinois est entré depuis les années 1980 dans une période de « renouveau » entraînant des mutations de la vie religieuse, entre distanciation d’avec le passé dans un souci de modernisation, et réaffirmation du rapport à la tradition. Le temple Pushou (普寿寺), ouvert en 1991 sur le mont Wutai (五台山) en Chine, est à la croisée de ces processus de métamorphose. Ce temple modèle, la plus large institution pour les nonnes bouddhistes en Chine continentale, et hébergeant également un Institut d’études bouddhistes (中国五台山尼众佛学院), a choisi de se développer dans des domaines comme la discipline monastique, l’éducation, et la philanthropie. Pour couvrir ces différents aspects, il a d’ailleurs créé le projet « Trois-Plus-Un » (“三加一” 僧伽教育工程) en 2006, combinant les efforts de plusieurs institutions, les temples Pushou et Dacheng (大乘寺), l’association caritative Bodhi (菩提爱心协会), et la maison de retraite Qingtai (清泰安养园). Selon Rurui (如瑞, 1957- ), abbesse du temple Pushou, directrice de l’Institut, et instigatrice du projet, ces trois aspects sont indispensables au monachisme : l’élévation spirituelle est à la base de l’éducation du saṅgha, l’éducation est une assurance sur le futur, et la philanthropie un « moyen expédient ». On peut d’ailleurs voir dans leur coexistence une stratégie adoptée par le temple Pushou dans sa manière de « produire » le bouddhisme, en fonction des attentes de la communauté monastique et laïque, de la société séculière, et des instances politiques. À partir d’un travail ethnographique, cette recherche entend alors rendre compte de la façon dont le temple s’inscrit dans la vie religieuse et sociale en Chine, et de la façon dont ces éléments propres au bouddhisme contemporain se recomposent en son sein, participant ainsi à l’étude des mouvements du bouddhisme institutionnel contemporain en Chine continentale.

none 1 no mixed SAVOIA P SAVOIA P

International audience

What happens when an emerging technological innovation is assessed in the public sphere? This paper explores the sociotechnical dynamics related to the emergence of Smart Meters (SMs) as an innovation in electricity supply systems in France and in Italy. Combining text mining techniques and digital methods, authors analyse both the SMs ‘programme’ built by the supporters of this innovation and how a possible ‘anti-programme’ was created anddisseminated by concerned lay publics within the digital public sphere, as represented by the accessible webpages as a whole. The study shows that SMs programme was built on environmental issues, assuming user interest in cost-effective energy management and configuring SMs as merely technical matters; while the anti-programme highlighted privacy and health concerns, converting SMs in a controversial technology.

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none 1 si t. Filosofia della letteratura; Fr. Philosophie de la littérature; Germ. Philosophie der Literatur; Span. Filosofía de la literatura. Even if the relationship between philosophy and literature seems to be as old as philosophy itself, the definition of philosophy of literature as a field of investigation, which focuses on specific problems and presents a relative methodological unity, is a recent phenomenon. As much as its theoretical antecedents can be found at least in the work of Benedetto Croce and Roman Ingarden (Chen 2017), or, even earlier, in Aristotle and in Hegel (Smadja 2009), except for sporadic appearances (Gallagher 1967), the term “philosophy of literature” only started spreading in the 1980s in the English-language philosophical debate and in the analytical tradition (Danto 1984) based on the application of language analysis to the fictional discourse (Searle 1975). Therefore, this entry will only report the trends, in the contemporary debate, of what openly qualifies as philosophy of literature. In this regard, philosophy of literature aims at reflecting in a systematic way on the status of literary work. open Eleonora Caramelli Eleonora Caramelli

In previous work by Baaz and Iemhoff, a Gentzen calculus for intuitionistic logic with existence predicate is presented that satisfies partial cut elimination and Craig's interpolation property; it is also conjectured that interpolation fails for the implication-free fragment. In this paper an equivalent calculus is introduced that satisfies full cut elimination and allows a direct proof of interpolation via Maehara's lemma. In this way, it is possible to obtain much simpler interpolants and to better understand and (partly) overcome the failure of interpolation for the implication-free fragment.

none 2 no Not only has the philosophical debate on causation been gaining ground in the last few decades, but it has also increasingly addressed the sciences. The biomedical sciences are among the most prominent fields that have been considered, with a number of works tackling the understanding of the notion of cause, the assessment of genuinely causal relations and the use of causal knowledge in applied contexts. Far from denying the merits of the debate on causation and the major theories it comprises, this paper is meant as a stimulus for theorists of causation in the philosophy of biomedicine, with a focus on clinical matters. Without aiming at putting forward an original theory of causation and starting from the narration of two actual but paradigmatic cases at the joints between biomedical research and clinical practice, we want to point out that some pathological situations addressed by molecular medicine actually prove resistant to (at least) some of our major epistemological accounts of causal explanation. Given this scenario, which is very frequent in our hospitals, our analysis aims to provide a stimulus for the debate among theorists of causation in biomedicine interested in real cases in science in practice. We believe that this might in turn encourage some more general rethinking of the complex intertwinement of science, philosophy of science and ethics, as well as of the role of philosophy of science for clinical medicine itself. First Online: 06 October 2017 Giovanni, Boniolo; Raffaella, Campaner Giovanni, Boniolo; Raffaella, Campaner

none 3 si In postrevolutionary Tunisia, local politics have played an important role in the reconstruction of political authority in the wake of regime change. Continuities of governance between the old and new regimes, the local emergence of new social and political actors, and the competition between new and old local actors, as well as between them and the central state, have challenged the authority of national institutions and elected officials. As national actors attempted to rein in local experiments with “direct democracy, ” local politics generated resistance toward the Islamist-led Ennahda coalition. mixed Frédéric Volpi, Fabio Merone, Chiara Loschi Frédéric Volpi, Fabio Merone, Chiara Loschi

International audience

open 1 no Whether abstract concepts can also be fully explained by an embodied and grounded approach, is a topic of increasing debate. However, the theories that have been put forward tend to treat abstract concepts as a unitary whole in opposition to [the category of] concrete concepts; furthermore, in empirical research there is no agreement on the criteria for selecting stimuli. This study investigates the implications of these limitations with the aim of proposing an alternative research approach. We briefly analyze the differences between abstract and concrete concepts and the models used to describe their relationships. After introducing recent research perspectives, we highlight how the hypotheses of multiple representation theories are reflected in various psycholinguistic parameters that are useful for analyzing differences between types of abstract concepts across multiple dimensions. We suggest integrating the model of the monodimensional continuum of concreteness/abstractness, in order to provide an account for the varieties of abstract concepts. open Villani, Caterina Villani, Caterina

none 2 no Possiamo considerare i commons come forme creative? In relazione a quali processi emerge il loro carattere di novità? Per rispondere a queste domande la creatività dei processi di commoning verrà considerata come il risultato della collettiva esplorazione e implicazione pratica delle persone con i loro ambienti. L’idea di spazi comuni, riformulata a partire dalla prospettiva socio-ecologica di Ingold (2000, 2007, 2011), verrà collegata ai concetti di “soglia” e di “porosità” proposti da Stavrides (2010, 2014), e al discorso sulla creatività culturale come enunciato da Favole (2010), Liep (2001b) e Wagner (1992). A partire da queste premesse teoriche e basandosi sui risultati di un lavoro di campo di due mesi svolto ad Atene nel 2015, l’analisi seguirà tre pratiche di creazione del comune, portate avanti nel corso degli ultimi anni nella capitale greca: il Parco Navarinou, l’Agros Elliniko e il Libero Teatro Autogestito Embros. Il contesto entro cui questi spazi comuni sono emersi è quello di un’esperienza urbana caratterizzata dall’ingiustizia sociale, prodotta dalla forza di striatura (Deleuze e Guattari, 2014) dei poteri economico-amministrativi. È nel confronto con la logica astratta delle striature che gli spazi comuni emergono come forme di creatività collettiva. open emanuele frixa; marco volpini emanuele frixa; marco volpini

none 1 no Oltre due millenni separano la scoperta dei numeri irrazionali, ad opera dei Pitagorici, dalla rigorosa definizione del concetto di numero reale computabile da parte di Alan Turing. Questo volume riformula idee che hanno segnato lo sviluppo del pensiero matematico da Pitagora a Turing, mostrando come, attraverso progressivi affinamenti dell’analisi concettuale, il divario tra numeri e geometria venga a ricomporsi in un fecondo rapporto dialettico. Il suo intento è di far riflettere sul profondo legame tra matematica e filosofia, e provare l’efficacia della matematica nel definire questioni filosofiche fondamentali: la comprensione dell’infinito; l’esistenza di concetti apparentemente impossibili, come i numeri irrazionali e immaginari, i punti sull’orizzonte, gli infinitesimi, la geometria non euclidea; la diversa natura dei concetti di verità e dimostrazione. Dalle armonie musicali alla scienza dei calcolatori, la cultura dell’Occidente prende forma da una duplice matrice. Se la matematica greca deriva il suo carattere dimostrativo dalla speculazione filosofica, la filosofia moderna trova un suo alfabeto nella lingua matematica. Nei nove capitoli del presente volume, il lettore avrà modo di apprezzare come la semplicità della descrizione matematica esalti lo spessore filosofico dei concetti. mixed Rossella Lupacchini Rossella Lupacchini

International audience; This paper analyzes the relationship between capitalism and Nature. The typical tendency to natural misuse of this economic system, which has no essence per se, is highlighted through Benjamin’s fragment Capitalism as religion. The implications of said result are then developed by referring to the Arcades Project and to Expo2015. The sentence “capitalism will not die a natural death” represents the basis for an inquiry which investigates the mutations of a religion in constant collapse.; Cet article explore le rapport entre capitalisme et nature. La tendance à l’abus naturel de ce système économique, qui n’a pas d’essence en soi, est soulignée dans le fragment de Benjamin intitulé Capitalisme comme religion. Ensuite, les implications de ce résultat sont développées en liens avec Passagenwerk et l’Expo2015 de Milan. La phrase « le capitalisme ne mourra pas de mort naturelle » constitue le fondement d’une saisie des mutations d’une religion toujours en train de s’effondrer.

International audience

none 1 no no none Donna, Diego Donna, Diego

none 1 no This chapter addresses the genesis, sources, structure, contents, and fortune of the toxicological Book on Poisons and the Protection against Lethal Drugs (also referred to here as On Poisons) by the famous Jewish intellectual and physician Moses Maimonides (d. 1204). The discussion is placed in the context of Maimonides' medical contributions and the medical and toxicological knowledge of the Islamic world. The transmission of the work in its Arabic original, and Hebrew and Latin translations, is analyzed, and a survey of modern scholarship on this work is provided. mixed Ferrario G. Ferrario G.

none 1 Modes of Sign Destruction. How to arrest semiosis? Moving from the theory of modes of sign production proposed by Umberto Eco in 1975, this article explores possible lines of research in order to conceptualize the modes of sign destruction, that is, the operations through which the capacity of a sign to signify is disabled. The question recalls another theoretical issue already largely investigated by Eco: the semiotic impossibility of an ars oblivionalis that, contrary to an ars memoriae, would facilitate the forgetfulness of something. Beyond the work of sign destruction and its results (not necessarily an interruption of semiosis), the article debates through several examples on the necessary actions to make a sign stop signifying: iconoclasm, alteration, concealment, production of noise/interferences, de-structuration and “disinvention”. Mazzucchelli, Francesco Mazzucchelli, Francesco

International audience; We consider some examples in which “now” occurs in sentence-initial position.By means of semantic tests, we show that the meaning conveyed by such examples isdifferent from the meaning of the corresponding sentences in which “now” has been dis-placed to sentence-final position. More specifically, we argue that the sentence-initialoccurrence of “now” in the original examples triggers a modal reading for the con-taining sentence. We propose a general notion of modal forcing to provide a uniformaccount of this modal reading. Armed with this account, we offer a solution to twotense-modal puzzles, which have to do with fatalism and the possibility of a changingpast.

none 1 no Dans sa thèse de doctorat Kritik und krise Reinhart Koselleck thématise l’origine de « l’opinion publique » en remontant au conflit qui oppose l’État et la société civile. Il montre ainsi comment la lutte des Lumières contre l’État conduit à élargir la critique morale de la conscience individuelle vers la sphère publique. L’opinion publique assume ainsi un rôle politique, devenant une arme pour la critique éclairée. La situation de « globalisation » du monde après la seconde guerre mondiale est marquée, aux yeux de Koselleck, par un état de crise permanent qui proviendrait de ce conflit entre critique morale et Etat, c’est-à-dire du dualisme inhérent à la critique menée par les Lumières. Notre propos vise ici concevoir la critique historique comme un possible instrument permettant de limiter la critique idéologique et de neutraliser ainsi l’état permanent de crise. Imbriano, Gennaro Imbriano, Gennaro

none 1 no futuro, scoperta, storia, temporalità Imbriano, Gennaro Imbriano, Gennaro

none 1 no In his dissertation, Kritik und Krise, Reinhart Koselleck thematizes the origin of the “Public Opinion” tracing it back to the conflict between state and civil society. The struggle of the Enlightenment against the state brings about the extension of the moral critique from the individual consciousness to the public sphere. In this way the Public Opinion assumes a political role and becomes a weapon for the Enlightenment’s critique. Few years later Jürgen Habermas proposes a theory of the genesis of the public sphere in which he argues that the critique of Enlightenment is politically legitimate, because it is rational; though he recognizes, like Koselleck, the politicization of the public sphere. The aim of this essay is to reconstruct these two positions by bringing out their common elements as well as their different points of view on the historical role of the public opinion: instrument of a particularistic struggle and, therefore, unable to exhibit elements of concrete universality in the judgment of Koselleck; phenomenon of the modern rationalization on Habermas’ account. Imbriano, Gennaro Imbriano, Gennaro

none 2 si This paper aims at delineating the basic principles for a semiotic approach to monuments and memorials. Monuments are built forms erected to confer dominant meanings on space. They present an aesthetic value as well as a political function. Often, political elites erect monuments to promote selective historical narratives that focus on convenient events and individuals while obliterating what is discomforting. While representing selective historical narratives, monuments can inculcate specific conceptions of the present and encourage future possibilities. As such, monuments become essential for the articulation of the national politics of memory and identity through which political elites set political agendas and legitimate political power. However, once erected, monuments become social properties and users can reinterpret them in ways that are different or contrary to the intentions of the designers. Previous research has explored monuments as either aesthetic objects presenting historical and artistic values or as political tools in the hand of those in power. Hence, this research has wittingly or unwittingly created a gap between the material-symbolic and the political dimensions of monuments. Moreover, it has variously given more emphasis either to the intentions of the designers or to the interpretations of the users. The semiotic approach to monuments can address these issues providing a holistic approach that overcomes the rigid distinctions predominant in previous research on monuments. Although useful analytical categories, the distinction between material-symbolic and political dimensions cannot be extended to the ontological state of monuments. Semiotics can be useful in investigating the meanings of monuments as actively created by the interplay of the material, the symbolic and the political dimensions. It provides a methodological basis to consider designers and users as equally contributing to the meaning-making of monuments. open Mario Panico; Federico Bellentani Mario Panico; Federico Bellentani

none 1 no il saggio intende discutere il ruolo dei dati sperimentali all'interno di una ricerca sulla rappresentazione dei luoghi d'origine che ha visto coinvolte la semiotica, la geografia culturale e la psicologia cognitiva mixed Pozzato, maria pia Pozzato, maria pia

none 1 no Through a survey of the philosophical implications of fashion, the essay shows how fashion can lead to qualify the aesthetic phenomenon in general. In the first part of the essay the problem of integration of fashion in the current cultural system serves to redeem the character of the aesthetic as an everyday practice, in opposition to the traditional ideology of the fine arts. The second part discusses the categorial structure of fashion, whereby the aesthetic is emerging as a dynamic field that exceeds any unilateral definition. The third part of the essay, dedicated to fashion as an anthropological problem, insists on the aesthetic factor of identity constitution. Finally, the fourth part focuses on the particular experience of beauty related to fashion, where the aesthetic coincides with an ephemeral but original appearance. Fashion proves so to be a constellation, a field of tension between irreducible polarities which tends to exhaust itself in its manifestation, taking shape as an essential source of sense especially effective today. Matteucci, Giovanni Matteucci, Giovanni

none 1 no At the roots of quantum physics we find two “specular” principles: a principle of distinguishability, which arranges the “uncertainty” of quantum measurement, and a principle of continuity, which drives the evolution of quantum systems. The vital link between the two principles was sharply captured by Leibniz. In his Theodicy, the issue of continuity (and indivisibles) is presented as one of “the two famous labyrinths” in which our reason can lose its way; the other concerns “the great question of freedom and necessity.” According to Leibniz, only geometry can provide a thread for the labyrinth of continuity. However, escaping from the labyrinth of Fate, Fortune, and Freedom requires a different perspective on nature. Leibniz’s perspective on the mechanism of nature is significantly different from Descartes’ or Newton’s. It reveals notable affinities with the Chinese correlative thinking. Surprisingly, the rationale behind these affinities may find a coherent setting in quantum information. mixed Lupacchini, Rossella Lupacchini, Rossella

none 2 no The paper proposes a reading of the problem of the Impersonal in the Ecological Philosophy, starting from the M. Merleau-Ponty’s concept of institution and the G. Simondon’s theme of Individuation. At first, the paper analyzes the theming of the institu-tion provided by Merleau-Ponty in the courses held in the 50s and it highlights its heritage in the late Merleau-Ponty’s ontology of nature. Then, the pa-per shows the consonances between nature as a metastable plane of immanence and the processes of individuation as conceived by Simondon. In the end, the paper shows the relationship between the impersonal field and the nature thought as a pre-in-dividual process of subjectivisation. mixed Amoroso, Prisca; De Fazio, Gianluca Amoroso, Prisca; De Fazio, Gianluca

none 1 si When I run into the Needham’s question – “What was it that happened in Renaissance Europe when mathematics and science joined in a combination that was qualitatively new and destined to transform the world?” – I could not help thinking of Brunelleschi and Leonardo. The “exact fantasy” of the design for the cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore together with the grace that emanates from The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne immediately came to my mind. Is there an answer here? Cassirer’s philosophical reflection helped me focus on the issue of abstraction, whereas Hilbert’s vision of geometry helped me grasp the ideality of mathematics and art. mixed Rossella Lupacchini Rossella Lupacchini

This work is mainly concerned with the notion of hierarchical modularity and its use in explaining structure and dynamical behavior of complex systems by means of hierarchical modular models, as well as with a concept of my proposal, antimodularity, tied to the possibility of the algorithmic detection of hierarchical modularity. Specifically, I highlight the pragmatic bearing of hierarchical modularity on the possibility of scientific explanation of complex systems, that is, systems which, according to a chosen basic description, can be considered as composed of elementary, discrete, interrelated parts. I stress that hierarchical modularity is also required by the experimentation aimed to discover the structure of such systems. Algorithmic detection of hierarchical modularity turns out to be a task plagued by the demonstrated computational intractability of the search for the best hierarchical modular description, and by the high computational expensiveness of even approximated detection methods. Antimodularity consists in the lack of a modular description fitting the needs of the observer, a lack due either to absence of modularity in the system’s chosen basic description, or to the impossibility, due to the excessive size of the system under assessment in relation to the computational cost of algorithmic methods, to algorithmically produce a valid hierarchical description. I stress that modularity and antimodularity depend on the pragmatic choice of a given basic description of the system, a choice made by the observer based on explanatory goals. I show how antimodularity hinders the possibility of applying at least three well-known types of explanation: mechanistic, deductive-nomological and computational. A fourth type, topological explanation, remains unaffected. I then assess the presence of modularity in biological systems, and evaluate the possible consequences, and the likelihood, of incurring in antimodularity in biology and other sciences, concluding that this eventuality is quite likely, at least in systems biology. I finally indulge in some metaphysical and historical speculations: metaphysically, antimodularity seems to suggest a possible position according to which natural kinds are detected modules, and as such, due to the computational hardness of the detection of the best hierarchical modular description, they are unlikely to be the best possible way to describe the world, because the modularity of natural kinds quite probably does not reflect the best possible modularity of the world. From an historical point of view, the growing use of computational methods for modularity detection or simulation of complex systems, especially in certain areas of scientific research, hints at the envisioning of a multiplicity of emerging scientific disciplines guided by a self- sustained, growing production of possibly human-unintelligible explanations. This, I suggest, would constitute an historical change in science, which, if has not already occurred, could well be on the verge of happening.; Ce travail concerne principalement la notion de modularité hiérarchique et son utilisation pour expliquer la structure et le comportement dynamique des systèmes complexes au moyen de modèles modulaires hiérarchiques, ainsi qu'un concept de ma proposition, l’antimodularité, relié à la possibilité de la détection algorithmique de la modularité hiérarchique. Plus précisément, je mets en évidence la portée pragmatique de la modularité hiérarchique sur la possibilité de l’explication scientifique des systèmes complexes, c’est-à-dire, systèmes qui, selon une description de base choisie par l’observateur, peuvent être considérés comme composés de parties élémentaires discrètes interdépendantes. Je souligne que la modularité hiérarchique est essentielle même au cours de l’expérimentation visée à découvrir la structure de ces systèmes. Mais la détection algorithmique de la modularité hiérarchique se révèle être une tâche affectée par la démontrée intraitabilité computationnelle de la recherche de la meilleure description modulaire hiérarchique, et par l’excessive cherté computationnelle même des méthodes de détection approximatives de la modularité. L’antimodularité consiste en le manque d’une description modulaire appropriée aux exigences de l’observateur, manque dû ou à l’absence de modularité dans la description basique choisie du système, ou à l’impossibilité de produire algorithmiquement une description hiérarchique valide, en raison des dimensions excessives du système à évaluer en relation à la cherté computationnelle des méthodes algorithmiques. Je souligne, de plus, que la modularité et l’antimodularité dépendent du choix pragmatique d’une spécifique description de base du système, choix fait par l’observateur sur la base de ses objectifs explicatifs. Je montre comment l’antimodularité entrave la possibilité d’appliquer au moins trois types bien connus d’explication: mécanique, déductive-nomologique et computationnelle. Un quatrième type, l’explication topologique, reste par contre indemne. Ensuite j’évalue la présence de modularité dans les systèmes biologiques, avec ses possibles conséquences, et l’éventualité d’encourir dans l’antimodularité en biologie et en autres sciences: éventualité assez probable, au moins dans la biologie des systèmes. Je me permet enfin quelques spéculations métaphysiques et historiques plutôt libres. D’un point de vue métaphysique, l’antimodularité semble suggérer une position possible, selon laquelle les espèces naturelles sont modules qui ont été détectés et, en raison de l’intraitabilité computationnelle de la détection de la meilleure description modulaire hiérarchique, il est improbable qu’ils constituent la meilleure façon possible de décrire le monde, parce que la modularité des espèces naturelles assez probablement ne reflète pas la meilleure modularité possible du monde. D’un point de vue historique, l’utilisation croissante des méthodes computationnels pour la détection de la modularité ou pour la simulation de systèmes complexes, en particulier dans certains domaines de la recherche scientifique, suggère la possibilité d’imaginer une multiplicité de disciplines scientifiques émergentes, guidées par une production croissante et auto-alimentante d’explications potentiellement inintelligibles pour les capacités cognitives humaines. Cela, à mon avis, constituerait un changement historique dans la science, qui, s’il n’a pas déjà eu lieu, pourrait bien être sur le point de se produire.; Questo lavoro riguarda principalmente il concetto di modularità gerarchica e il suo impiego nello spiegare la struttura e il comportamento dinamico di sistemi complessi mediante modelli modulari gerarchici, nonché un concetto di mia proposta, l’antimodularità, legato alla possibilità del rilevamento algoritmico di modularità gerarchica. Nello specifico, evidenzio la portata pragmatica della modularità gerarchica sulla possibilità di spiegazione scientifica dei sistemi complessi, cioè sistemi che, secondo una descrizione di base scelta dall’osservatore, possono essere considerati come composti da parti elementari discrete interrelate. Sottolineo che la modularità gerarchica è essenziale anche nel corso della sperimentazione volta a scoprire la struttura di tali sistemi. Il rilevamento algoritmico della modularità gerarchica si rivela essere un compito affetto dalla dimostrata intrattabilità computazionale della ricerca della migliore descrizione modulare gerarchica, e affetto dal comunque elevato costo computazionale anche dei metodi di rilevamento approssimati della modularità. L’antimodularità consiste nella mancanza di una descrizione modulare adatta alle esigenze dell’osservatore, mancanza dovuta o all’assenza di modularità nella descrizione di base del sistema scelta dall’osservatore, o all’impossibilità di produrre algoritmicamente una sua descrizione gerarchica valida, per le dimensioni eccessive del sistema da valutare in rapporto al costo computazionale dei metodi algoritmici. Sottolineo che modularità e antimodularità dipendono dalla scelta pragmatica di una certa descrizione di base del sistema, scelta fatta dall’osservatore sulla base di obiettivi esplicativi. Mostro poi come l’antimodularità ostacoli la possibilità di applicare almeno tre tipi noti di spiegazione: meccanicistica, deduttivo- nomologica e computazionale. Un quarto tipo di spiegazione, la spiegazione topologica, rimane sostanzialmente immune dalle conseguenze dell’antimodularità. Valuto quindi la presenza di modularità nei sistemi biologici, e le sue possibili conseguenze, nonché l’eventualità di incorrere nell’antimodularità in biologia e in altre scienze, concludendo che questa eventualità è abbastanza probabile, almeno in biologia dei sistemi. Infine, mi permetto alcune speculazioni metafisiche e storiche piuttosto libere. Dal punto di vista metafisico, l’antimodularità sembra suggerire una posizione possibile secondo cui i generi naturali sono moduli che sono stati rilevati, e in quanto tali, a causa dell’intrattabilità computazionale del rilevamento della migliore descrizione modulare gerarchica, è improbabile che essi siano il miglior modo possibile per descrivere il mondo, perché la modularità dei generi naturali molto probabilmente non rispecchia la migliore modularità possibile del mondo. Da un punto di vista storico, il crescente utilizzo di metodi computazionali per il rilevamento della modularità o per la simulazione di sistemi complessi, in particolare in alcuni settori della ricerca scientifica, suggerisce la possibilità di immaginare una molteplicità di discipline scientifiche emergenti, guidate dalla produzione di spiegazioni potenzialmente inintelligibili dal punto di vista cognitivo umano, produzione che potrebbe iniziare ad autoalimentarsi, portando potenzialmente ad una crescita inarrestabile. Suggerisco che questo scenario cos- tituirebbe un cambiamento epocale nel campo della scienza, che, se non è già avvenuto, potrebbe benissimo essere sul punto di realizzarsi.

International audience; Opposing the growing-block theory of temporal unfolding, the shrinking-block theory is defended.

This thesis addresses the issue of the continuity of consciousness in William James, considering also its possible actualization. In particular, this work aims at outlining critically the various theoretical perspectives that influenced James’s philosophical discourse. On the wave of the Darwinian theory of evolution, James’s reflections originate in the field of late 19th century physiological psychology where he develops more and more intensely the exigency of a renewed epistemology and a new metaphysical framework for gathering the most interesting scientific theories and discoveries about the human mind. The analysis of the theme of continuity allows us to capture, from the historical and the theoretical point of view, the importance of James’s gradual translation of psychological experimental observations of the continuity of thought into an ontological perspective according to which continuity constitutes a feature of reality. Indeed, such an analysis clarifies James's position within his own historical context, as well as highlighting the most original outcomes of his work. The aspect of continuity, although mentioned by James’ scholars, has not been properly analyzed to date. This is firstly due to the great attention that interpreters have commonly paid to James’s individualist attitude, hence to the tychistic or variant features of reality. Secondly, it is important to consider that the main interpretative stream of pragmatism narrowed the comparison between James and Charles S. Peirce into a paradigmatic polarization, so that James was mainly considered as the philosopher of nominalism and individuality, while Peirce was labeled as the realist in search of a mathematical continuum.But James was immediately intrigued by the contradictory synthetic unity of mental states that he could draw from his description of the continuity of the states of consciousness, in so far as they preserved both real continuity and real divisibility. The vague aspect of experience was not fully reproducible in conceptual terms, and in logical terms it resulted in a contradiction. James’s elaboration of this problematic issue should be considered within the shift of paradigms that was taking place in the first half of the 20th century. Such an epochal change affected James’s elaboration, particularly through the theoretical and methodological advancements that were made in the fields of physiology and biological sciences throughout the 19th century.; Cette thèse aborde la question de la continuité de la conscience chez William James, en vue de ses possibles actualisations. En particulier, la tentative est de délimiter, de façon critique, les réflexions et les influences principales qui caractérisent le discours de James. Dans le sillage de la théorie de l'évolution de Darwin, les réflexions de James émergèrent dans le champ de la psychologie physiologique de la fin du 19ème siècle, où il développa de plus en plus intensément l'exigence d'une épistémologie renouvelée et d'un nouveau cadre métaphysique pour comprendre les théories et les découvertes scientifiques les plus intéressantes sur l'esprit humain. L'analyse du thème de la continuité permet de saisir, tant d'un point de vue historique que théorique, l'importance du passage graduel de James des observations de la psychologie expérimentale sur la continuité de la pensée vers une perspective ontologique selon laquelle la continuité constitue une caractéristique de la réalité. En outre, une telle analyse permet de clarifier la position de James par rapport à son contexte historique, et en même temps, de mettre en évidence les résultats les plus originaux de son travail.L'aspect de la continuité, bien que reconnu par les critiques de James, n'a jamais été proprement analysé jusqu'à présent. Cela est dû, d'une part, à la grande attention que les commentateurs ont communément prêté à la dimension individuelle chez James, et donc, à l'aspect tychistique et variant de la réalité ; d'autre part, il est important de garder à l'esprit que le principal courant interprétatif a réduit la confrontation entre James et Charles S. Peirce à une polarisation paradigmatique, où James était considéré comme un philosophe nominaliste et individualiste, alors que Peirce était étiqueté comme le réaliste à la recherche d'un continuum mathématique qui soit compatible avec sa théorie de la sémiose infinie.Toutefois, James fut immédiatement intrigué par la contradictoire unité synthétique des états mentaux, qu'il avait pu dériver de sa description de la continuité des états de conscience, où ceux-là préservaient à la fois une réelle continuité et une réelle divisibilité. Le vague aspect de l'expérience n'était pas pleinement reproductible en termes conceptuels, et en termes logiques il constituait une contradiction. L'élaboration d'une telle problématique de la part de James doit être considérée au sein du changement de paradigme de l'époque qui eut lieu dans la première moitié du 20ème siècle. Un tel changement influença l'élaboration de James, particulièrement à travers les progrès théoriques et méthodologiques réalisés dans le champ de la physiologie et de la biologie du 19ème siècle.

International audience; In the Tractatus, it is stated that questions about logical formatting (“why just these rules?”) cannot be meaningfully formulated, since it is precisely the application of logical rules which enables the formulation of a question whatsoever; analogously, Wittgenstein’s celebrated infinite regress argument on rule-following seems to undermine any explanation of deduction, as relying on a logical argument. On the other hand, some recent mathematical developments of the Curry-Howard bridge between proof theory and type theory address the issue of describing the “subjective” side of logic, that is, the concrete manipulation of rules and proofs in space and time. It is advocated that such developments can shed some light on the question of logical formatting and its apparently unintelligible paradoxes, thus reconsidering Wittgenstein’s verdict.

The main aim of my work – “Matter and Explanation. On Aristotle's Metaphysics Book Η” – is to show the argumentative unity of Book Η (VIII), which has been usually regarded as a mere collection of appendices to the previous Book Ζ. In my thesis I take on the main suggestion provided by M. Burnyeat in “A Map of Metaphysics Ζ” (2001). According to Burnyeat, Η accomplishes the enquiry of Ζ by developing Ζ17's fresh start into the analysis of sensible substances. Starting from Ζ17, Aristotle regards the notion of substance in its explanatory role as “principle and cause” and, as a consequence, he searches for “the cause by reason of which a certain matter is some definite thing”. Burnyeat's suggestion has been so far followed in order to look at Η as at that place where this search is accomplished. Thus, Η would play a didactical-expository role. In my work I aim at showing how in Book Η Aristotle does not confine himself to a mere exposition of the previous outcomes. By contrast, he provides a deep revision of the status of matter's substancehood. Namely of that ontological subject whose organization must be explained. Such a revision concerns those criteria, which in Book Ζ have provided a deflationary reading of the notion of ὕλη. On the contrary, in Η matter is read as subject of physical changes and in its dispositional role within the biological wholes. Such a framework is accomplished in Η6, where Aristotle shows the explanatory primacy of his own hylomorphism over the Platonic Doctrine of Forms.; Le titre de ma thèse est “Matter and Explanation. On Aristotle's Metaphysics Book Η”. Le but de cette recherche est de montrer la profonde unité argumentative du livre H (livre VIII), considéré habituellement comme un ensemble d'appendices au livre livre Z, qui le précède. Dans mon travail, conformément à la tendance dominante dans la littérature spécialisée des dernières années, je pars de l'indication donnée par M. Burnyeat dans “A Map of Metaphysics Ζ” (2001). D’après Burnyeat, H achèverait l'analyse de Z en développant le nouveau point de départ dans l'étude sur la substance établi dans le chapitre Z17. Dans ce texte, on considère la substance comme « principe et cause » et, par conséquent, on recherche « la cause pour laquelle la matière est quelque chose ». Cette indication a été utilisée jusqu'à présent pour voir en H l'endroit où ce principe serait appliqué. H aurait ainsi un rôle didactique, explicitant le principe méthodologique établi en Z17. Dans mon travail, je vise à montrer que l’attitude d’Aristote à propos de la notion de substance ne se borne pas, dans le livre H, à une simple synthèse exposant des résultats préalablement acquis. J’estime, au contraire, qu’il procède à une révision profonde du statut de substantialité qui est celui de la matière, c'est-à-dire du sujet ontologique, dont il s’agit alors d’expliquer l'organisation. Cette révision concerne les critères de référence, utilisés dans Z, qui avaient différemment contribué à imposer une lecture déflationniste de la notion de ὕλη. Dans H, au contraire, la matière est abordée en tant que sujet physique sous-jacent aux changements et à travers son rôle dispositionnel à l'intérieur des composées biologiques. Cette perspective de recherche s'accomplit en H6, où Aristote montre la supériorité explicative de son hylémorphisme par rapport à la doctrine platonicienne des Idées.

It is common practice in formal semantics to assume that the context specifies an assignment of values to variables and that the same variables that receive contextually salient values when they occur free may also be bound by quantifiers and λs. These assumptions are at work to provide a unified account of indexical and bound uses of third person pronouns, namely an account by which the same lexical item is involved in both uses. One apparent consequence of this approach is that quantifiers and λs are monsters in Kaplan's sense. We argue that this consequence can, and should, be avoided. We explore an alternative unified account based on the idea that variable assignments occur both as coordinates of the context and as coordinates of the circumstance of evaluation. The outcome is a non indexical account of free third person pronouns and a new conception of the role and structure of assignment functions.

none 4 si While affordances have been intensively studied, the mechanisms according to how their activation is modulated by context are poorly understood. We investigated how the Agent׳s reach-to-grasp movement towards a target-object (e.g. a can) is influenced by the other׳s interaction with a second object (manipulative/functional) and by his/her eye-gaze communication. To manipulate physical context we showed participants two objects that could be linked by a spatial relation (e.g. can-knife, typically found in the same context), or by different functional relations. The functional relations could imply an action to perform with another person (functional-cooperative: e.g. can-glass), or on our own (functional-individual: e.g. can-straw). When objects were not related (e.g. can-toothbrush) participants had to refrain from responding. In order to respond, in the giving condition participants had to move the target object towards the other person, in the getting condition towards their own body. When participants (Agents) performed a reach-to-grasp movement to give the target object, in presence of eye-gaze communication they reached the wrist׳s acceleration peak faster if the Other previously interacted with the second object in accordance with its conventional use. Consistently participants reached faster the MFA when the objects were related by a functional-individual than a functional-cooperative relation. The Agent׳s getting response strongly affected the grasping component of the movement: in case of eye-gaze sharing, MFA was greater when the other previously performed a manipulative than a functional grip. Results reveal that humans have developed a sophisticated capability in detecting information from hand posture and eye-gaze, which are informative as to the Agent׳s intention. Scorolli C.; Miatton M.; Wheaton L.A.; Borghi A.M. Scorolli C.; Miatton M.; Wheaton L.A.; Borghi A.M.

none 1 no The aim of this paper is to show that a very natural and intuitive notion of disagreement cannot but lead to criticizing contextualist and relativist attempts at providing positive philosophical explanations of faultless disagreement. First, two distinctions (normative vs. empirical and revisionary vs. descriptive) that are useful for characterizing a philosophical project are introduced. Secondly, a basic view of doxastic disagreement is proposed and it is argued that this view poses a problem to any basic form of contextualism and relativism for any descriptive project on faultless disagreement. Finally, it is contended that even though a revisionary approach to faultless disagreement is a natural option, such an approach is at odds with the methodology usually adopted by supporters of these semantic proposals. open Moruzzi, Sebastiano Moruzzi, Sebastiano

version de travail; we propose a revised version of Black's original argument against the principle of identity of indiscernibles. Our aim is to examine a puzzle regarding the intuitiveness of arguments, by showing that the revised version is clearly less intuitive than Black's original one, and appears to be unjustified by our ordinary means of assessment of intuitions.

none 2 no The representation space of Renaissance painting is compared to the representation space of quantum physics in [this chapter]. The action of a “semi-transparent” mirror splitting the trajectory of a photon, or any quantum particle, resembles the action of “Alberti’s window” in painting. According to Alberti, painting must recreate a view through a window. To accomplish this task, the light coming from the scene (to be painted) must be caught by the painter’s eye and projected on the plane surface of an ideal veil. The pictorial image results from a “double projection,” for that window acts both as a glass intersecting the visual pyramid and as a mirror reflecting the painter’s eye. When Narcissus realizes how a mirror acts, the shadow which he observes allows him to see another side of himself. When physicists realize how quantum interference acts, “photon-shadows” become “observables.” The awareness shared by Narcissus, Renaissance perspectivists, and quantum observers involves a revision of the function of shadow with respect to the Platonic condemnation and to the “fantastic” conception of the classic world. In the girl’s attempt to fix her lover’s image (told by Pliny), one can already see a “measuring her self against the other” that Plato’s myth had not envisaged. Despite the separation from the young man, the image she drew, the “artificial” representation, would maintain the link (of her self) with the “other.” This view of painting giving shape to “relational” forms marks itself off from a view of science describing “objective” properties of physical reality, hence losing or denying any link between the scientist-observer and the observed object. mixed Angelini A.; Lupacchini R. Angelini A.; Lupacchini R.

none 5 si Evidence suggests that religious systems have specific effects on attentional and action control processes. The present study investigated whether religions also modulate choices that involve higher-order knowledge and the delay of gratification in particular. We tested Dutch Calvinists, Italian Catholics, and Atheists from both countries/cultures using an intertemporal choice task where participants could choose between a small immediate and a larger delayed monetary reward. Based on the Calvinist theory of predestination and the Catholic concept of a cycle of sin-confession-expiation, we predicted a reduced delay tolerance, i.e. higher discount rate (DR), for Italian Catholics than for Dutch Calvinists, and intermediate rates for the two atheist groups. Analyses of discount rates support our hypotheses. We also found a magnitude effect on temporal discounting and faster responses for large than for small rewards across religions and countries/cultures. We conclude that temporal discounting is specifically modulated by religious upbringing rather than by generic cultural differences. Paglieri F.; Borghi A.M.; Colzato L.S.; Hommel B.; Scorolli C. Paglieri F.; Borghi A.M.; Colzato L.S.; Hommel B.; Scorolli C.

none 3 no We investigated how the reach-to-grasp movement is influenced by the presence of another person (friend or non-friend), who was either invisible (behind) or located in different positions with respect to an object and to the Agent, and by the perspective conveyed by linguistic pronouns (“I”, “You”). The interaction between Social Relationship and Relative Position influenced the latency of both maximal fingers aperture and velocity peak, showing shorter latencies in presence of a non-friend than in presence of a friend. However, whereas the relative position of a non-friend did not affect the kinematics of the movement, the position of a friend mattered: latencies were significantly shorter with friends only in positions allowing them to easily reach for the object. Finally the investigation of the overall reaching movement time showed an interaction between the Speaker and the Pronoun: participants reached the object more quickly when the Other spoke, particularly if she used the “I” pronoun. This suggests that speaking, and particularly using the “I” pronoun, evokes a potential action. Implications of the results for embodied cognition are discussed. Gianelli C.; Scorolli C.; Borghi A.M. Gianelli C.; Scorolli C.; Borghi A.M.

none 3 Claudia Scorolli; Anna M. Borghi; Luca Tummolini Claudia Scorolli; Anna M. Borghi; Luca Tummolini

none 6 si An important challenge of embodied theories is to explain the comprehension of abstract sentences. The aim of the present study was to scrutinize the role of the motor cortex in this process. We developed a new paradigm to study the abstract-concrete dimension by combining concrete (i.e. action-related) and abstract (i.e. non-action-related) verbs with nouns of graspable and non-graspable objects. Using these verb-noun combinations we performed a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) on the left primary motor cortex while participants performed a sentence sensibility task. Single-TMS pulses were delivered 250 ms after verb or noun presentation in each of four combinations of Abstract and Concrete verbs and nouns. To evaluate cortico-spinal excitability we registered the electromyographic activity of the right first dorsal interosseous muscle. As to verb-noun integration, analysis of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) after TMS pulse during noun presentation revealed greater peak-to-peak amplitude in phrases containing Abstract rather than Concrete Verbs. Response times were also collected and showed that compatible (Concrete-Concrete and Abstract-Abstract) combinations were processed faster than mixed ones; moreover in combinations containing concrete verbs, participants were faster when the pulse was delivered on the first word (verb) than on the second one (noun). Results support previous findings showing early activation of hand-related areas after concrete verbs processing. The prolonged or delayed activation of the same areas by abstract verbs will be discussed in the framework of recent embodied theories based on multiple types of representation, particularly theories emphasizing the role of different acquisition mechanisms for concrete and abstract words (Borghi & Cimatti, 2009;2012). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2012.10.004 Scorolli C.; Jacquet P.; Binkofski F.; Nicoletti R.; Tessari A.; Borghi A.M. Scorolli C.; Jacquet P.; Binkofski F.; Nicoletti R.; Tessari A.; Borghi A.M.

none 3 Scorolli C.; Miatton M.; Borghi A.M. Scorolli C.; Miatton M.; Borghi A.M.

none 2 no La "crisi" è il nostro presente, segnato da una pesante recessione economica. L'"epoca di crisi" non è però definita unicamente dall'andamento dei mercati azionari. Vi è anche, e soprattutto, un radicato senso di incertezza rispetto al futuro, che impone decisioni urgenti. Questo breve testo costituisce uno strumento per comprendere i significati e gli usi del concetto di "crisi". Nell'analisi di Koselleck si coglie infatti come il concetto - sin dal suo apparire nella Grecia classica - abbia assunto significati diversi. Crisi è un termine medico, che indica la fase acuta di una malattia; è un concetto del linguaggio politico, che evoca una decisione e che delinea un'immagine del tempo; è poi un'espressione centrale del linguaggio economico, con cui si rappresenta il rapido mutamento dei contesti sociali. "Crisi" è però in primo luogo parola d'ordine dell'epoca moderna. Koselleck ne illustra le ragioni. none none Imbriano, Gennaro; Rodeschini, Silvia Imbriano, Gennaro; Rodeschini, Silvia

none 2 no The body, as the subject or the object of our experience, mediates all our interactions with the world. In contrast with traditional views, recent studies have shown that our sense of body is plastic and can be modified. In this perspective, a number of psychological and neuroscientific studies have demonstrated that, when humans and monkeys use an instrument to reach a target-object, an extension of their peri-personal space occurs. This extension effect has been demonstrated with monkeys and humans, with neglect patients and with controls, and with a variety of paradigms. In the last years, both neuroscientists (e.g. Farne’ et al., 2005) and philosophers (e.g., Clark, 2008) have proposed interesting parallels between tool-use and language. In this paper we intend to propose that words, similarly to tools, enlarge our space of action and modify the sense of our body. We will ground our proposal and discuss it also in light of recent evidence, obtained in our lab with kinematics and other behavioural studies, that shows that words use leads to an extension of our peri-personal space. none Borghi A.M.; Scorolli C. Borghi A.M.; Scorolli C.