Annali online Unife (Università degli Studi di Ferrara)
Not a member yet
1987 research outputs found
Sort by
ALBERTO CAVAGLION (a cura di), Primo Levi
No full textReview to ALBERTO CAVAGLION (a cura di), Primo Levi, Roma: Carocci, 2023, p. 503, € 43,00. ISBN 978-88-290-2139-0.Recensione a ALBERTO CAVAGLION (a cura di), Primo Levi, Roma: Carocci, 2023, p. 503, € 43,00. ISBN 978-88-290-2139-0
A Technical Genealogy of Imagination: Some Reflections alongside Leroi-Gourhan
No full textAlthough critical studies have addressed Leroi-Gourhan’s theory of technical object formation through the notions of tendency and fact (Audouze & Schlanger 2004; Schlanger 2023), the role of imagination within this process remains underexplored. This essay, drawing on the central arguments of Le geste et la parole, contends that the genesis of technical objects has been inherently imaginative since the earliest Hominins. In Leroi-Gourhan’s framework, imagination fulfills a dual function: it operates as a cognitive instrument – most notably through the empirical method of the operational chain, which reconstructs the mental imagery of the prehistoric flintknappers – and as a co-originary element in the simultaneous emergence of technique and language. Conceived as a symbolic or figurative faculty, imagination co-evolves with these domains, shaping and being shaped by them. Crucially, Leroi-Gourhan underscores the non-voluntary nature of technical evolution, emphasizing the irreducibility of the technical object to mere functional imposition. From its inception, the technical process bears a symbolic dimension, wherein imagination is inscribed within the material artifact. The technical object thus materializes abstract thought within organized matter, through physical constraints. Over several hundred thousand years, a dynamic equilibrium between technique and language – mediated by the biological dimension – has fostered a recursive dynamic: imagination externalizes itself through technical supports, culminating in symbolic systems such as mythograms and writing. While Sapiens reached morphological stability approximately 300,000 years ago, their imaginative-technical superstructure continues to evolve. This process of externalization, anchored in the relational dynamic between subject and object, continuously reconfigures the imaginative horizon of the human species.Although critical studies have addressed Leroi-Gourhan’s theory of technical object formation through the notions of tendency and fact (Audouze & Schlanger 2004; Schlanger 2023), the role of imagination within this process remains underexplored. This essay, drawing on the central arguments of Le geste et la parole, contends that the genesis of technical objects has been inherently imaginative since the earliest Hominins. In Leroi-Gourhan’s framework, imagination fulfills a dual function: it operates as a cognitive instrument – most notably through the empirical method of the operational chain, which reconstructs the mental imagery of the prehistoric flintknappers – and as a co-originary element in the simultaneous emergence of technique and language. Conceived as a symbolic or figurative faculty, imagination co-evolves with these domains, shaping and being shaped by them. Crucially, Leroi-Gourhan underscores the non-voluntary nature of technical evolution, emphasizing the irreducibility of the technical object to mere functional imposition. From its inception, the technical process bears a symbolic dimension, wherein imagination is inscribed within the material artifact. The technical object thus materializes abstract thought within organized matter, through physical constraints. Over several hundred thousand years, a dynamic equilibrium between technique and language – mediated by the biological dimension – has fostered a recursive dynamic: imagination externalizes itself through technical supports, culminating in symbolic systems such as mythograms and writing. While Sapiens reached morphological stability approximately 300,000 years ago, their imaginative-technical superstructure continues to evolve. This process of externalization, anchored in the relational dynamic between subject and object, continuously reconfigures the imaginative horizon of the human species
Making Sense of Research in a Time of Crisis: Kant\u27s Account of the Regulative Use of Transcendental Ideas as a Way to Interpret Sustainability
No full textAlthough ecosystems and society are closely interlinked, a dichotomous conceptualisation of the relationship between them characterizes the Global North, and it determines the current socio-ecological crisis. Philosophy offers useful tools to face this condition and to understand the role of scientific knowledge in finding possible solutions, even if the efforts made do not generate detectable short-term spin-offs. The paper pursues this aim by taking into account the regulative use of transcendental ideas Kant provides in the Critique of Pure Reason and in particular in the Appendix to the Transcendental Dialectic. In this regard, the contribution interprets sustainability as an idea that must be used regulatively. Accordingly, it is conceived not as the concept of an object that is actually given in experience but, on the contrary, as a concept we must presuppose at the beginning of our inquiry and of which we must admit the possibility in order to profitably carry out our empirical researches. In other words, our strive to reach a sustainable relationship between society and ecosystems can only make sense if we presuppose that this relationship is possible in the first place, and therefore only if we assume its concept as a heuristic tool aimed at guiding our empirical researches, i.e. if we use this idea regulatively in Kant’s sense. The analysis adopts an interdisciplinary approach, thus aiming to constitute a bridge between philosophy and human geography.
The process of redefining the relationship under investigation has led the scientific community to propose new terms, such as socio-ecosystem. This allows to identify two previously hierarchically ordered entities as two interdependent elements placed at the same level. The boundary between human and non-human entities dissolves within other conceptual and terminological proposals, such as that of Ecumene. The most recent literature also questions the role of the researchers within society. Indeed, scientific knowledge is generally defined as multi-, inter- or trans-disciplinary and as increasingly co-produced in synergy with different actors.
However, in this regard two main critical aspects persist. On the one hand, the adoption of specific methodologies and the use of peculiar qualitative and quantitative tools by different disciplinary fields limit the development of a unitary knowledge. On the other, the presence of significant political-institutional barriers and power asymmetries often obstacles the implementation of the transformative perspectives highlighted. These two problematic factors determine a condition of uncertainty that threatens to compromise the very meaning of the efforts the researcher puts in his/her inquiry. Indeed, without any guarantee whatsoever of their positive outcome and in dealing with difficulties such as those mentioned above, the researcher could legitimately ask what is the meaning of carrying out an inquiry whose success is anything but certain.
Given these premises, the contribution aims at readdressing the meaning of researchers’ efforts to develop scientific knowledge even if this does not generate detectable short-term spin-offs. It does so by taking into account some conceptual tools offered by Immanuel Kant in the Critique of Pure Reason, focusing more particularly on the account of the regulative use of transcendental ideas he provides in the Appendix to the Transcendental Dialectic.
In this regard, the contribution interprets the harmonious relationship between society and ecosystems as a regulative idea. Accordingly, this relationship is conceived of not as the concept of an object that is actually given in experience but, on the contrary, as a concept we must presuppose in our inquiry and of which we must admit the possibility in order to profitably carry out our empirical researches. In other words, our strive to reach a harmonious relationship between society and ecosystems can only make sense if we presuppose that this relationship is possible in the first place (even if it should never fully realize), and therefore only if we assume its concept as a heuristic tool aimed at guiding our empirical researches, i.e. as a regulative idea in Kant’s sense.
In this way, the analysis adopts an interdisciplinary approach, thus aiming to constitute a bridge between philosophy and human geography.Although ecosystems and society are closely interlinked, a dichotomous conceptualisation of the relationship between them characterizes the Global North, and it determines the current socio-ecological crisis. Philosophy offers useful tools to face this condition and to understand the role of scientific knowledge in finding possible solutions, even if the efforts made do not generate detectable short-term spin-offs. The paper pursues this aim by taking into account the regulative use of transcendental ideas Kant provides in the Critique of Pure Reason and in particular in the Appendix to the Transcendental Dialectic. In this regard, the contribution interprets sustainability as an idea that must be used regulatively. Accordingly, it is conceived not as the concept of an object that is actually given in experience but, on the contrary, as a concept we must presuppose at the beginning of our inquiry and of which we must admit the possibility in order to profitably carry out our empirical researches. In other words, our strive to reach a sustainable relationship between society and ecosystems can only make sense if we presuppose that this relationship is possible in the first place, and therefore only if we assume its concept as a heuristic tool aimed at guiding our empirical researches, i.e. if we use this idea regulatively in Kant’s sense. The analysis adopts an interdisciplinary approach, thus aiming to constitute a bridge between philosophy and human geography
L\u27uomo e l\u27ambiente: Tornanti ed orizzonti geografico-filosofici
No full textThe purpose of this essay is to examine the relationship between geography and philosophy through the conceptual lens of the environment, not within predefined disciplinary boundaries but rather in a dialogue between the two fields. The environmental perspective enables us to question the epistemological status of both disciplines and, at the same time, to contribute elements of theoretical and practical relevance to the interplay between ontological frameworks and geographic practice. First, the historical and critical genealogy and the semantic development of the term environment will be outlined. Second, we will approach the concept from within geographical thought enriched by philosophical perspectives, such as determinism and possibilism. Finally, we will return to the topic through a renewed geographical-philosophical trajectory.Con il presente contributo si intende tematizzare il rapporto intercorrente tra geografia e filosofia nel vivo dell’attraversamento del concetto-scenario di ambiente, non già dall’interno di steccati disciplinari predefiniti ma in una zona di transito geografico-filosofica. L’operazione ha la sua ragion d’essere, da un lato, nel tentativo di interrogarsi sullo statuto epistemologico delle due discipline, dall’altro nell’intento di aggiungere tasselli di rilevanza teorico-operativa nell’intreccio tra orizzonte ontologico e pratica geo-grafica. In prima battuta si ripercorreranno la stratificata genealogia storico-critica e il profondo orizzonte semantico del termine ambiente; in secondo luogo, ci si accosterà allo stesso dal filtro dei concetti geografici, ma intrisi di innesti filosofici, di determinismo e possibilismo; infine, si approderà ad una riconsiderazione del tema affrontato in un itinerario di matrice geografico-filosofica
ALEXANDER SCHNELL, Die Erscheinung der Erscheinung
No full textALEXANDER SCHNELL, Die Erscheinung der Erscheinung, Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann, 2023, p. 224, € 59,00. ISBN 978-3-465-04631-8.Recensione a ALEXANDER SCHNELL, Die Erscheinung der Erscheinung, Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann, 2023, p. 224, € 59,00. ISBN 978-3-465-04631-8
Immaginarsi insegnante. Il disvelamento del sapere implicito come formazione riflessiva degli educatori
No full textThe field of the teaching profession constitutes a working environment in which the implicit dimensions of personal knowledge anticipate forms of influence that tacitly shape concrete work practices in terms of evaluations, choices, and behaviors. The teacher, needing to appropriately interpret and manage the complexity and fluidity of the multiple variables that make up the educational context, must necessarily develop an ability to engage with their students that escapes the usual and covert tacit dynamics of “labeling” and prejudice—responses rooted in personal knowledge and common sense. Based on these premises, this contribution aims to highlight the central role that teachers\u27 self-reflective training assumes in the development of skills focused on the conscious unveiling of implicit knowledge as a strategy intended to effectively guide the development of the educational relationship.L’ambito della professione docente costituisce un terreno di lavoro nel quale le dimensioni implicite del sapere personale prefigurano forme di influenza che sagomano tacitamente il fare lavorativo concreto, in termini di valutazioni, scelte, comportamenti. L’insegnante, nell’esigenza di saper interpretare e affrontare adeguatamente la complessità e la fluidità delle molteplici variabili che compongono il contesto educativo deve necessariamente costruire una capacità di confronto con i propri alunni che sfugga alle consuete e sotterranee dinamiche tacite di “etichettamento” e di pregiudizio, riposte sullo sfondo di saperi personali e di senso comune. A partire da tali premesse, il contributo intende mettere in luce la centralità che la formazione auto-riflessiva degli insegnanti assume nella costruzione di competenze concentrate sul disvelamento consapevole del sapere implicito quale strategia finalizzata ad orientare efficacemente lo sviluppo della relazione educativa
Partecipazione e relazioni tra pari nella scuola secondaria di secondo grado
No full textThis contribution explores the role of participation and peer relationships in the context of upper secondary school, emphasizing their importance in the field of inclusion. Based on a survey involving 158 teachers from two technical institutes in Northern Italy, we analyzed how teachers perceive the importance and effective implementation of participation and peer relationships in the school context. The responses provided seem to indicate an explicit recognition of inclusion and participation as fundamental priorities for the school. However, a greater complexity seems to emerge in the effective participation of students during learning activities. The data collected show that, although the importance of an inclusive environment is recognized, the school does not always manage to fully and actively involve all students.Questo contributo esplora il ruolo della partecipazione e delle relazioni tra pari nel contesto della scuola secondaria di secondo grado, ponendo l’accento sulla loro importanza nell’ambito dell’inclusione. Basandosi su un’indagine che ha coinvolto 158 docenti provenienti da due istituti tecnici del Nord Italia si è analizzato come i docenti percepiscono l’importanza e l’effettiva realizzazione della partecipazione e delle relazioni tra pari nel contesto scolastico. Le risposte fornite sembrano indicare un riconoscimento esplicito dell’inclusione e della partecipazione come priorità fondamentali per l’istituto scolastico. Tuttavia, sembra emergere una complessità maggiore nella partecipazione effettiva degli studenti durante le attività di apprendimento. I dati raccolti evidenziano che, sebbene si riconosca l’importanza di un ambiente inclusivo, la scuola non sempre riesce a coinvolgere tutti gli studenti in modo pieno e attivo
Differenza e trascendentalità in Heidegger. A partire dai "Concetti fondamentali della metafisica"
No full textIn the context of a transcendental interpretation of Heidegger\u27s thought, the aim of this article is to clarify the phenomenological sense of the problem of the «ontological difference», starting from the course of 1929-30 on the Basic Concepts of Metaphysics and then to evaluate, also through a comparison with the positions of Derrida and Schürmann, how this problem changes its direction in the subsequent reflection. In conclusion, the article discusses how Heidegger\u27s thought of “Kehre” involves a “dynamicization” of the transcendental concept of world in a historical-epochal sense.Nel contesto di un\u27interpretazione trascendentale del pensiero di Heidegger, l\u27obiettivo di questo contributo è chiarire il senso fenomenologico del problema della «differenza ontologica», a partire dal corso del 1929-30 sui Concetti fondamentali della metafisica, per poi valutare, anche attraverso un confronto con le posizioni di Derrida e Schürmann, come questo problema cambi di segno nella successiva riflessione del filosofo. In conclusione, l\u27articolo discute come il pensiero della “Kehre” di Heidegger implichi una “dinamizzazione” del concetto trascendentale di mondo in senso storico-epocale
La fondazione trascendentale dell\u27intersoggettività in Edith Stein
No full textThe objective of this contribution is to analyze the philosophical path in which Edith Stein founded the idea of subjectivity on the basis of the concept of the transcendental ego. We will try to show how the idea of the empathy originating by subjectivity understood by phenomenology guarantees respect and recognition of the distinction of individual interiorities, overcoming the risk of solipsism. Finally, it will be shown how these theoretical premises legitimize an idea of “community” based on the freedom of the individuals who compose it.L’obiettivo di questo contributo è analizzare il percorso filosofico in cui Edith Stein ha fondato l’idea di soggettività sulla base del concetto di Io trascendentale. Cercheremo di mostrare come l’idea di empatia originata dalla soggettività intesa dalla fenomenologia, garantisca il rispetto e il riconoscimento della distinzione delle interiorità individuali, superando il rischio del solipsismo. Infine, si mostrerà come queste premesse teoriche legittimano un’idea di “comunità” fondata sulla libertà degli individui che la compongono
The Oneiric-Technical Chiasm: A Phenomenological Account of VR Embodiment
No full textVR systems have often been accused of reinforcing «the rationalist dream of the disembodied mind, part of the long Western tradition of body denial» (Penny, 1994). Such a perspective precisely insists on the constitutive disembodiment of VR experience. Similarly, imagination and, even more radically, dreams have often been dismissed as disembodied experiences, even within the phenomenological tradition. Against this assumption and based on a confrontation with recent accounts of dreaming (Windt 2015) and VR experiences (Besmer 2015; Buongiorno 2019; Heft 2023), the paper argues for the embodied character of both experiences. Drawing on Husserl’s notion of Ichspaltung and Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s insights on body-schema plasticity (2012; 2020), the contribution delves deeper into the peculiar modes of embodiment prompted by these experiences, uncovering unprecedented analogies. Considering the long-standing link between dreams and media (Morin 2005; Grossi 2021), the paper proposes to understand it as a chiasm, and as a theme accommodating multiple variations, not least that introduced by VR.VR systems have often been accused of reinforcing «the rationalist dream of the disembodied mind, part of the long Western tradition of body denial» (Penny, 1994). Such a perspective precisely insists on the constitutive disembodiment of VR experience. Similarly, imagination and, even more radically, dreams have often been dismissed as disembodied experiences, even within the phenomenological tradition. Against this assumption and based on a confrontation with recent accounts of dreaming (Windt 2015) and VR experiences (Besmer 2015; Buongiorno 2019; Heft 2023), the paper argues for the embodied character of both experiences. Drawing on Husserl’s notion of Ichspaltung and Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s insights on body-schema plasticity (2012; 2020), the contribution delves deeper into the peculiar modes of embodiment prompted by these experiences, uncovering unprecedented analogies. Considering the long-standing link between dreams and media (Morin 2005; Grossi 2021), the paper proposes to understand it as a chiasm, and as a theme accommodating multiple variations, not least that introduced by VR