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Smith and Kant: An Enquiry into the Ambivalences of Luxury
No full textThis study examines the concept of luxury through the contrasting perspectives of two 18th-century philosophers, exploring its moral, economic and political dimensions in the context of an emerging commercial society. Historically, luxury has been debated as both a driver of social progress and a source of inequality and moral concern. Unlike other contributors to this debate, this analysis focuses on two thinkers, Smith and Kant, who held marginal views on luxury, yet whose work reveals its complex role in liberal political theory. Smith takes an empirical approach, viewing luxury as intertwined with the rationality, sociability and sensitivity of human nature. In this view, luxury supports commerce, industry, and social refinement, ultimately benefiting society despite its association with vanity and excess. It promotes economic development, property rights, and the legal systems necessary to sustain a commercial society. Kant conceptualises luxury through a moral-philosophical lens, viewing it as a matter of duty and autonomy. He condemns luxury when it leads to excesses that are detrimental to individual dignity and communal welfare. This perspective highlights freedom, moral virtue, and culture as being essential to understanding the limits and implications of luxury. Juxtaposing these two perspectives sheds light on the differing conceptions of human nature, morality and societal progress found in modern thought. While one sees luxury as a natural and positive force in economic and social evolution, the other warns of its potential to undermine virtue and social cohesion. Together, these views provide a nuanced understanding of the ambivalent role of luxury in shaping modern liberal societies.This study examines the concept of luxury through the contrasting perspectives of two 18th-century philosophers, exploring its moral, economic and political dimensions in the context of an emerging commercial society. Historically, luxury has been debated as both a driver of social progress and a source of inequality and moral concern. Unlike other contributors to this debate, this analysis focuses on two thinkers, Smith and Kant, who held marginal views on luxury, yet whose work reveals its complex role in liberal political theory. Smith takes an empirical approach, viewing luxury as intertwined with the rationality, sociability and sensitivity of human nature. In this view, luxury supports commerce, industry, and social refinement, ultimately benefiting society despite its association with vanity and excess. It promotes economic development, property rights, and the legal systems necessary to sustain a commercial society. Kant conceptualises luxury through a moral-philosophical lens, viewing it as a matter of duty and autonomy. He condemns luxury when it leads to excesses that are detrimental to individual dignity and communal welfare. This perspective highlights freedom, moral virtue, and culture as being essential to understanding the limits and implications of luxury. Juxtaposing these two perspectives sheds light on the differing conceptions of human nature, morality and societal progress found in modern thought. While one sees luxury as a natural and positive force in economic and social evolution, the other warns of its potential to undermine virtue and social cohesion. Together, these views provide a nuanced understanding of the ambivalent role of luxury in shaping modern liberal societies
Rethinking Unity: a polyphonic reading of Beethoven\u27s Sonata in A flat major, Op. 110
No full textTra il 2003 e il 2004 in un dibattito su «Music Analysis» due opposte posizioni teorico-analitiche, formalista ed ermeneutica, si incontrano nella comune esigenza di definire una idea di unità della composizione che non comporti l’annullamento del valore del ‘particolare’. In questo contesto, Jonathan D. Kramer avanza un concetto potenzialmente fecondo, quello di «coerenza», che tuttavia resta privo di precisi connotati estetici. Il presente lavoro sviluppa tale concetto a partire dalla concezione di ‘polifonia’ come intesa dal critico letterario Michail Bachtin. Per fare ciò, tenendo conto del già suggerito rapporto (Hatten, 1994; Steyer, 1995; Cook, 2003) tra specifici aspetti dell’opera tarda beethoveniana e la prospettiva bachtiniana, si elabora una lettura ‘polifonica’ della Sonata per pianoforte in La bemolle maggiore op. 110, in cui l’eterogeneità di materiale viene pensata in una dimensione temporale multipla, che permetta di intendere i rimandi latenti della composizione come segni di un intimo dialogare tra i diversi movimenti. In a debate held in «Music Analysis» between 2003 and 2004, two opposing positions, the formalist and the hermeneutic, coincide in the common need to define an idea of unity that does not nullify the value of the ‘particular’. In this context, Jonathan D. Kramer proposes the prolific concept of «coherence», which, however, lacks precise aesthetic connotations. My aim in this paper is to re-consider the concept of coherence from that of “Polyphony” as discussed by literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin. In order to achieve my goal, I will take into consideration the suggested relationship (Hatten, 1994; Steyer, 1995; Cook, 2003) between aspects of Beethoven’s late style and Bakhtin’s perspective, and propose a ‘polyphonic’ analysis of the Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in A-flat major op. 110, in which the heterogeneity of material is conceived in a ‘multiple’ dimension of musical time that allows us to understand the latent references in the composition as signs of an inner dialog between movements
From the Heavens to the Nile and from Creation to al-Nāṣir Muḥammad: Universal Historiography and Literary Scale in the works of Ibn al-Dawādārī
No full textIn the early eighth/fourteenth century the scope and scale of historiographic projects in Syro-Egypt shifted from an earlier focus on biographical monographs towards expansive chronicles, often of universal scope. This article studies the nine-volume universal chronicle Kanz al-durar wa-jāmiʿ al-ghurar and the single-volume but similarly universal chronicle Durar al-tījān wa-ghurar tawārīkh al-azmān, both composed by the Egyptian litterateur Ibn al-Dawādārī (d. after 736/1335). The chronicles are analysed for their use of scalar strategies in managing large amounts of historical information. In their literary and historical presentations, the texts appeal to a celestial scale and a localised Egyptian perspective, both of which are repeatedly connected to praise of the sultan al-Nāṣir Muḥammad (third reign 709/1310–741/1341). This article argues for a holistic understanding of such chronicles by considering their structural organisation, the holograph manuscripts in which the texts survive, and a close reading of their introductions alongside multiple panegyric sections across the works. The shift in scale in historiographical production is linked to the intellectual environment of al-Nāṣir Muḥammad\u27s court in the decades following his return to power in 709/1310
Τὰν ἀπλόον τιμὰν διπ(π)λεῖ καταστασεῖ. Sanzioni procedurali nel diritto gortinio
No full textProcedural penalties intended to discourage parties from engaging in lawsuits were not uncommon in ancient legal systems. In Roman law, the procedural penalty of litiscrescence was used to sanction a defendant who denied a special obligation by increasing the lis (value of the claim). As such, if the iudex (judge) sided with the plaintiff, a condemnatio in duplum had to occur. In order to prevent a condemnatio in duplum, the defendant had to acknowledge his obligation before the praetor, meaning no trial before a iudex would be needed. This article examines whether a functional analogon of the procedural penalty of litiscrescence existed in the law of Gortyn. For this, it is necessary to exegetically analyse provisions of the law of Gortyn that indicate or refer to a condemnation for the double value. Furthermore, particular attention must be given to how a confession or denial before court was handled under the law of Gortyn.Le sanzioni procedurali volte a scoraggiare le parti dall’intraprendere azioni legali non erano rare nei sistemi giuridici antichi. Nel diritto romano, la sanzione processuale della litiscrescenza veniva applicata al convenuto che negava la propria responsabilità nell’ambito di una determinata azione, con conseguente aumento della lis. Se l’iudex si pronunciava a favore dell’attore, seguiva condemnatio in duplum. Per evitare una condemnatio in duplum, il convenuto doveva riconoscere il suo obbligo davanti al praetor, il che significava che non sarebbe stato necessario un iudex. Questo articolo esamina se un analogo funzionale della sanzione procedurale della litiscrescenza esistesse nel diritto gortinio. A tal fine, è necessario analizzare esegeticamente le disposizioni del diritto gortinio che indicano o fanno riferimento a una condemnatio in duplum nel contesto di una causa. Inoltre, occorre prestare particolare attenzione al modo in cui il diritto gortinio trattava la confessione o il diniego davanti al tribunale
Some thoughts on Indo-European studies and ‘method’
No full textDrawing on an article by Tristano Bolelli (Alcuni problemi di metodo nella linguistica indoeuropea, 1968), in which the training role of the method of Indo-European studies in linguistic studies is emphasised, this paper proposes a historiographical reconstruction of the origin of the idea that Indo-European linguistics provided a lesson in methodology starting with the work of Franz Bopp
Federica DA MILANO, Linguaggio e coscienza. L’espressione linguistica della soggettività
No full textFOSSIL SNAKEFLY PUPAE FROM ABOUT 100 MILLION YEARS OLD AMBER REVEAL AN UNUSUAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE ANTENNAE
No full textA key aspect of the holometabolan evolutionary success is their metamorphosis. It allows larvae and adults to exploit quite different resources and reduce competition between the two. The often strongly differing morphology of larvae and adults is mediated by the specific intermediate stage, the pupa. Fossil pupae provide valuable information for the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of this so important developmental stage. However, pupae are relatively rarely found in the fossil record, and they seem even less often depicted in the literature. Here, we report two new fossil pupae preserved in about 100 million years old Kachin amber, Myanmar. These represent the first fossil pupae of the group of snakeflies, Raphidioptera. The two specimens resemble modern snakefly pupae in overall morphology and especially in the morphology of the ovipositor. However, they also differ in certain aspects, indicating differences in developmental timing. One specimen is particularly notable for its long, curled antennae. Extant snakeflies have rather short antennae in all life stages. Yet, in the Cretaceous few species have long antennae as adults, and also some larvae are known with rather long antennae. The other pupa has shorter antennae and is preserved in the same amber specimen as another snakefly, a larva with rather long antennae. The new snakefly pupa with its extraordinarily long antennae underpins the exceptional evolutionary radiations in the Cretaceous
Un’analisi quantitativa della misoginia nelle canzoni rap e trap italiane
No full textNegli ultimi anni, la musica rap e trap ha acquisito un ruolo predominante nel panorama musicale italiano, diventando un fenomeno di massa e attirando sempre più attenzione mediatica, la quale ha portato con sé numerosi dibattiti, in particolare per la presenza di contenuti violenti e misogini all’interno dei testi. Questo studio si propone di analizzare quantitativamente la diffusione della misoginia nei testi della musica rap e trap italiana, attraverso un’analisi testuale su un ampio corpus di brani pubblicati tra il 1993 e il 2025. Utilizzando tecniche di analisi testuale quantitativa, la ricerca esamina la frequenza e la tipologia di riferimenti misogini, analizzandone l’evoluzione temporale e la relazione con la popolarità degli artisti. I risultati evidenziano come circa un terzo dei testi contenga espressioni misogine, con una prevalenza di termini derogatori e riferimenti sessualizzanti, mentre le espressioni di violenza diretta risultano meno frequenti. Questi risultati appaiono sostanzialmente costanti nel tempo, evidenziando come non si tratti di una problematica generazionale. Un dato particolarmente significativo riguarda la correlazione diretta tra il livello di misoginia nei testi e la popolarità degli/delle artisti/e. L’analisi dei brani a tema amoroso rivela una tendenza inaspettata: le canzoni d’amore con una connotazione positiva contengono una maggiore frequenza di termini derogatori rispetto a quelle con una narrazione negativa, suggerendo un uso normalizzato di espressioni sessiste anche in contesti affettivi. Preoccupante è l’aumento di riferimenti violenti nei testi che parlano di relazioni concluse, in cui la violenza sembra talvolta giustificata dalla fine della relazione. Infine, l’indagine sulla partecipazione femminile nella scena rap evidenzia una forte disparità di genere, con una presenza esigua di rapper donne, le quali, tuttavia, adottano anch’esse – seppur in misura minore – una rappresentazione dalle componenti misogine. Questo studio offre un contributo rilevante al dibattito sul linguaggio della musica rap e trap, soprattutto nel contesto italiano dove questo campo di studi si trova ancora in uno stato embrionale, inserisce nel più ampio dibattito sulla rappresentazione della femminilità nei media e sul ruolo della musica nella costruzione dell’immaginario collettivo.In recent years, Italian rap and trap music has acquired a dominant role in the Italian music scene, becoming a mainstream phenomenon and attracting growing media attention, often accompanied by debates over the presence of violent and misogynistic content in the lyrics. This study analyses with a quantitative approach the spread of misogyny in Italian rap and trap lyrics, through a textual analysis of a large corpus of songs released between 1993 and 2025. Using quantitative analysis techniques, the research investigates the frequency and types of misogynistic references, examining their temporal evolutions and the relationship with artists’ popularity. The findings show that approximately one third of the song in the corpus contains misogynistic expression, with a predominance of derogatory and sexualizing language. These patterns remain relatively stable over time, indicating that misogynistic lyrics are not a generational issue. A significant association also emerges between the level of misogyny in lyrics and the popularity of the artists. The analysis of songs with romantic themes reveals a counterintuitive trend: love songs with a positive tone contain more derogatory expressions than those with negative narrative, suggesting a normalization of sexist language even in affective contexts. Particularly concerning is the increase in violent references in songs about breakups, where violence is at times portrayed as a justified response to the end of a relationship. Finally, the study highlights a marked gender imbalance in the Italian rap scene: female rappers are few, but they also – albeit to a lesser extent – reproduce misogynistic representations. This research contributes to the broader debate on language in rap and trap music, particularly within the still-nascent Italian academic field, and engages with wider discussions on the representation of femininity in the media and the role of music in shaping collective imaginaries
Metaphors to hurt. The representation of migrants as water flows in Italian public discourse
No full textThe aim of this work is a in-depth analysis of the use, in the Italian public discourse, of one of the most widespread conceptual metaphors in the representation of migrants, i.e. MIGRANTS ARE WATER FLOWS. The analysis is based on an examination of the collocations of lexemes denoting migrants (migranti, immigrati, clandestini, profughi, rifugiati), carried out on the texts that have been published on the Italian web since 2000. The survey shows how, unlike other clearly offensive metaphors, the flow metaphor is realised through an apparently neutral lexicon that is not perceived as derogatory, and is therefore also used in institutional communication and in non-xenophobic discourses. However, it gives rise to a strongly denigrating representation, which projects onto migrants the three conceptual traits of dehumanisation, depersonalisation and dangerousness.Scopo del lavoro è analizzare in dettaglio l’uso, nel discorso pubblico italiano, di una delle metafore concettuali più diffuse nella rappresentazione dei migranti, cioè i migranti sono flussi d’acqua. L’analisi si basa sull’esame delle collocazioni dei principali lessemi che denotano i migranti (migranti, immigrati, clandestini, profughi, rifugiati), svolto sui testi che compongono il web italiano pubblicati a partire dal 2000. L’indagine mostra come, a differenza di altre metafore palesemente offensive, la metafora dei flussi si realizza tramite un lessico apparentemente neutro e non percepito come offensivo, ed è usata perciò anche nella comunicazione istituzionale e in discorsi non xenofobici. Si tratta tuttavia di una rappresentazione fortemente denigratoria, che proietta sui migranti i tre tratti concettuali della disumanizzazione, della spersonalizzazione e della pericolosità
Marescalchi, Hippiatrists, and Treatise Writers. Equine Veterinary Medicine, Between Training and Transmission in Italy Between the 13th and 14th Centuries
No full textFra le carte riguardanti i censimenti dei cavalli in servizio al Comune di Perugia tra il 1276 e il 1292 vi è un ricco prontuario di «magagnae». Le principali fra queste affezioni sono indicate attraverso termini sconosciuti al latino medievale e dal significato oscuro, suggerendo una vocazione di patologie dall’inquadramento clinico. Attraverso un incrocio con i principali trattati di ippiatria circolanti al tempo se ne ha la conferma, insieme alla pressoché inedita testimonianza dell’effettiva messa in pratica di quella che, ben oltre la pagina scritta dei trattati, si configura come una vera e propria scienza medica proto-veterinaria.
D’altro canto, è proprio dalla metà del XIII secolo, con il De medicina equorum di Giordano Ruffo, che l’ippiatria vive un momento di rinnovamento dal carattere pratico-empirico, segnando uno spartiacque rispetto alle precedenti tradizioni ed auctoritates classiche, connotate da un sapere essenzialmente teorico ed evidentemente, almeno in parte, ormai superato.Among the documents recording horse inventories of the Commune of Perugia between 1276 and 1292, there is a vast compendium of magagnae—diseases mostly designated by terms unknown to medieval Latin and of obscure meaning, suggesting a clinical vocabulary of veterinary pathologies. Cross-referencing these with the principal equine veterinary treatises circulating at the time confirms this interpretation, offering rare evidence of the actual application of what can be seen, beyond the written page of the treatises, as a genuine proto-veterinary medical science.
Indeed, it is exactly from the mid-13th century onward, beginning with De medicina equorum by Giordano Ruffo, that veterinary medicine underwent a renewal marked by a practical and empirical character—a turning point from earlier traditions and classical auctoritates, which were characterized by a predominantly theoretical knowledge that had seemingly become, at least in part, obsolete.
By using these two diverse types of primary sources—on one hand, the administrative records of a 13th-century commune, and on the other, the key treatises composed and circulating at the time—it becomes possible to enrich the narrative scope of both. What emerges is a deeper understanding of how veterinary knowledge was compiled and transmitted, as well as insights into the professional and para-educational dimension of mascalcia, a trade of considerable cultural significance in the society of the time