Contemporary interest in realism and naturalism, emerging under the banner of speculative or new ... more Contemporary interest in realism and naturalism, emerging under the banner of speculative or new realism, has prompted continentally-trained philosophers to consider a number of texts from the canon of analytic philosophy. The philosophy of Wilfrid Sellars, in particular, has proven remarkably able to offer a contemporary re-formulation of traditional "continental" concerns that is amenable to realist and rationalist considerations, and serves as an accessible entry point into the Anglo-American tradition for continental philosophers. With the aim of appraising this fertile theoretical convergence, this volume brings together experts of both analytic and continental philosophy to discuss the legacy of Kantianism in contemporary philosophy. The individual essays explore the ways in which Sellars can be put into dialogue with the widely influential work of Quentin Meillassoux, explaining how—even thought their methods, language, and proximal influences are widely different—their philosophical stances can be compared thanks to their shared Kantian heritage and interest in the problem of realism. This book will be appeal to students and scholars who are interested in Sellars, Meillassoux, contemporary realist movements in continental philosophy, and the analytic-continental debate in contemporary philosophy.
Naturalizing Badiou offers a naturalist critique and revision of Alain Badiou's philosophy. It ar... more Naturalizing Badiou offers a naturalist critique and revision of Alain Badiou's philosophy. It argues against some core elements of his systematic philosophy, considering them unacceptable for the naturalist philosopher. At the same time, however, it highlights how Badiou's broader and ambitious metaphilosophical commitments can fruitfully supplement the orthodox naturalism grounding some contemporary stances in the philosophy of science. This goal is pursued through staging an encounter of Badiou's mathematical ontology and theory of truth with contemporary trends in philosophy of mathematics and philosophy of science. Targeting Badiou's inability to elucidate the link between the empirical and the ontological, and his residual reliance on a Heideggerian project of fundamental ontology, the book articulates a particular understanding of what realism and naturalism should commit us to. It then presents a creative fusion of Badiou's attention to metamathematical results with a structural-informational metaphysics, proposing a 'matherialism' that unites the more daring speculative insights of the former with the naturalist and empiricist commitments motivating the latter.
Roy Wood Sellars (1880-1973) è stato un prolifico filosofo la cui carriera è durata dagli anni '1... more Roy Wood Sellars (1880-1973) è stato un prolifico filosofo la cui carriera è durata dagli anni '10 fino agli anni '70 del ventesimo secolo. Oggi conosciuto principalmente come padre del più noto e influente Wilfrid Sellars, Roy Wood Sellars fu un pensatore indipendente ed originale. Canadese di origine ma formatosi nel mondo filosofico statunitense, Sellars fu esponente di spicco del revival del realismo americano-membro fondatore del movimento del "realismo critico"-nonché fervente sostenitore di una filosofia naturalista, nota come "naturalismo evoluzionista", in dialogo con le scienze fisiche e biologiche. I temi principali affrontati nei suoi testi sono principalmente di natura epistemologica, ma con un costante riguardo per il problema del rapporto tra mente e corpo. Tra le sue numerosissime pubblicazioni vi sono anche testi di filosofia politica, filosofia della scienza, etica, e religione.
Infinity, in various guises, has been invoked recently in order to 'explain' a number of importan... more Infinity, in various guises, has been invoked recently in order to 'explain' a number of important questions regarding observable phenomena in science, and in particular in cosmology. Such explanations are by their nature speculative. Here we introduce the notions of relative infinity, closure, and economy of explanation and ask: to what extent explanations involving relative or real constructed infinities can be treated as reasonable?
This paper examines a facet of the under-explored philosophical relationship between Roy Wood Sel... more This paper examines a facet of the under-explored philosophical relationship between Roy Wood Sellars and his son, Wilfrid Sellars, analysing both their published work and their unpublished correspondence. In particular it focuses, first, on the explicit agreements in epistemological matters between the two philosophers, a consonance in views which is to be seen as Wilfrid’s profound debt to his father’s philosophy, a debt often ignored or unexamined by Sellarsian scholarship. Secondly, it explores a topic of disagreement between the two, regarding the source and the role of Kantian categories and a priori principles. It is argued that the Wilfrid Sellars’s approach, a deeply Kantian, normatively-saturated naturalism, was the result of his assimilation of new philosophical methods — originating in Carnapian and Wittgenstenian analyses of language — unfamiliar and unavailable to his father and his generation. The paper presents this as an exemplar of philosophical progress, but also vouches for a return to a style of philosophical inquiry proper of early twentieth-century philosophy, when systematicity and the embedding of one’s stance into extra-philosophical concerns were considered as recommendable goals.
In this response I reply to the critiques from Josh Reeves and Richard A. Peters and argue that, ... more In this response I reply to the critiques from Josh Reeves and Richard A. Peters and argue that, even in light if their objections, my presentation of and critical stance towards the science and religion field remains justified. I will acknowledge the lack of an adequate treatment of evolutionary theories of religion in my paper, but question the way in which this lack would undermine my critiques of the theology-laden discourse of science and religion scholars.
The aim of this paper is to question and criticise the employment of critical realism in the fiel... more The aim of this paper is to question and criticise the employment of critical realism in the field of 'science and religion'. Referring to the texts of four main actors in this field I will demonstrate how the choice of critical realism is justified by a (disguised) apologetic interest in defending the epistemic privilege of the theological enterprise against that of the natural sciences. I will argue that this is possible thanks to the re-activation of 'theological potential' latent in some under-examined assumptions and conceptual structures still at work within philosophy of science and scientific epistemology.
In this paper I will offer a survey of Quentin Meillassoux’s thought, focusing on what I identify... more In this paper I will offer a survey of Quentin Meillassoux’s thought, focusing on what I identify as the central node of his thought, the link between mathematics and contingency. I will then proceed to question the compatibility of his principle of radical contingency with the philosophy—and the practice—of science, and I will propose a possible solution to this problem by pushing Meillassoux along the Pythagorean path. Finally, I will argue that 1) his project of evacuating metaphysical necessity via a mathematization of reality can be read on a continuum with the critiques of metaphysics of presence (and with the special status assigned to mathematical formalism) operated by Jacques Derrida and Alain Badiou; and 2) his philosophy can be understood as a philosophy of science only if we allow speculations aimed at subverting core metaphysical conceptual structures to have a bearing upon empirically-based scientific practice.
This article aims at giving an overview of the network of forces that led to the movement, within... more This article aims at giving an overview of the network of forces that led to the movement, within Continental Philosophy, of Speculative Realism. In particular I will consider the external influence that the dramatic developments of the natural sciences (particularly physics and cosmology) in the last 40 years had on philosophy, and I will argue that the contemporary return to 'realism' is an intra-philosophical reaction to the Science Wars in the 1990s. I argue that the identity of 21st century Continental Philosophy will have to be developed as a reaction, an assimilation, and an adaptation to the natural sciences.
The aim of this paper is to offer a critical evaluation of the field of “science and religion” th... more The aim of this paper is to offer a critical evaluation of the field of “science and religion” through a brief description of its academic evolution, of the kind of scholars involved in it, and the publications belonging to it. Some elements of this discourse will be highlighted and criticized, namely a number of eurocentric theological assumptions, and what I will define as a “soteriological rhetoric” which serves as a legitimating device for the field, both ubiquitously employed in the work of the scholars involved in the field. I will argue, moreover, that such a rhetoric is the direct product of confessional interests, which disguise the field's theological apologetical aims with appeals to the universal welfare of an ethnocentrically limited conception of “humanity.”
This paper offers a parallel analysis of the concept of śūnyatā in Nāgārjuna’s philosophy and the... more This paper offers a parallel analysis of the concept of śūnyatā in Nāgārjuna’s philosophy and the concept of zero in mathematics. A historical survey of the development of zero in its Indian origin and an appraisal of its role in contemporary mathematics is undertaken in the first part, while an analysis of Nāgārjuna’s śūnyatā is provided in the second. The third and concluding part considers a possible, speculative parallel configuration of concepts, approached through a philosophical framework inspired by the philosophy of Jacques Derrida and Alain Badiou.
Contemporary interest in realism and naturalism, emerging under the banner of speculative or new ... more Contemporary interest in realism and naturalism, emerging under the banner of speculative or new realism, has prompted continentally-trained philosophers to consider a number of texts from the canon of analytic philosophy. The philosophy of Wilfrid Sellars, in particular, has proven remarkably able to offer a contemporary re-formulation of traditional "continental" concerns that is amenable to realist and rationalist considerations, and serves as an accessible entry point into the Anglo-American tradition for continental philosophers. With the aim of appraising this fertile theoretical convergence, this volume brings together experts of both analytic and continental philosophy to discuss the legacy of Kantianism in contemporary philosophy. The individual essays explore the ways in which Sellars can be put into dialogue with the widely influential work of Quentin Meillassoux, explaining how—even thought their methods, language, and proximal influences are widely different—their philosophical stances can be compared thanks to their shared Kantian heritage and interest in the problem of realism. This book will be appeal to students and scholars who are interested in Sellars, Meillassoux, contemporary realist movements in continental philosophy, and the analytic-continental debate in contemporary philosophy.
Naturalizing Badiou offers a naturalist critique and revision of Alain Badiou's philosophy. It ar... more Naturalizing Badiou offers a naturalist critique and revision of Alain Badiou's philosophy. It argues against some core elements of his systematic philosophy, considering them unacceptable for the naturalist philosopher. At the same time, however, it highlights how Badiou's broader and ambitious metaphilosophical commitments can fruitfully supplement the orthodox naturalism grounding some contemporary stances in the philosophy of science. This goal is pursued through staging an encounter of Badiou's mathematical ontology and theory of truth with contemporary trends in philosophy of mathematics and philosophy of science. Targeting Badiou's inability to elucidate the link between the empirical and the ontological, and his residual reliance on a Heideggerian project of fundamental ontology, the book articulates a particular understanding of what realism and naturalism should commit us to. It then presents a creative fusion of Badiou's attention to metamathematical results with a structural-informational metaphysics, proposing a 'matherialism' that unites the more daring speculative insights of the former with the naturalist and empiricist commitments motivating the latter.
Roy Wood Sellars (1880-1973) è stato un prolifico filosofo la cui carriera è durata dagli anni '1... more Roy Wood Sellars (1880-1973) è stato un prolifico filosofo la cui carriera è durata dagli anni '10 fino agli anni '70 del ventesimo secolo. Oggi conosciuto principalmente come padre del più noto e influente Wilfrid Sellars, Roy Wood Sellars fu un pensatore indipendente ed originale. Canadese di origine ma formatosi nel mondo filosofico statunitense, Sellars fu esponente di spicco del revival del realismo americano-membro fondatore del movimento del "realismo critico"-nonché fervente sostenitore di una filosofia naturalista, nota come "naturalismo evoluzionista", in dialogo con le scienze fisiche e biologiche. I temi principali affrontati nei suoi testi sono principalmente di natura epistemologica, ma con un costante riguardo per il problema del rapporto tra mente e corpo. Tra le sue numerosissime pubblicazioni vi sono anche testi di filosofia politica, filosofia della scienza, etica, e religione.
Infinity, in various guises, has been invoked recently in order to 'explain' a number of importan... more Infinity, in various guises, has been invoked recently in order to 'explain' a number of important questions regarding observable phenomena in science, and in particular in cosmology. Such explanations are by their nature speculative. Here we introduce the notions of relative infinity, closure, and economy of explanation and ask: to what extent explanations involving relative or real constructed infinities can be treated as reasonable?
This paper examines a facet of the under-explored philosophical relationship between Roy Wood Sel... more This paper examines a facet of the under-explored philosophical relationship between Roy Wood Sellars and his son, Wilfrid Sellars, analysing both their published work and their unpublished correspondence. In particular it focuses, first, on the explicit agreements in epistemological matters between the two philosophers, a consonance in views which is to be seen as Wilfrid’s profound debt to his father’s philosophy, a debt often ignored or unexamined by Sellarsian scholarship. Secondly, it explores a topic of disagreement between the two, regarding the source and the role of Kantian categories and a priori principles. It is argued that the Wilfrid Sellars’s approach, a deeply Kantian, normatively-saturated naturalism, was the result of his assimilation of new philosophical methods — originating in Carnapian and Wittgenstenian analyses of language — unfamiliar and unavailable to his father and his generation. The paper presents this as an exemplar of philosophical progress, but also vouches for a return to a style of philosophical inquiry proper of early twentieth-century philosophy, when systematicity and the embedding of one’s stance into extra-philosophical concerns were considered as recommendable goals.
In this response I reply to the critiques from Josh Reeves and Richard A. Peters and argue that, ... more In this response I reply to the critiques from Josh Reeves and Richard A. Peters and argue that, even in light if their objections, my presentation of and critical stance towards the science and religion field remains justified. I will acknowledge the lack of an adequate treatment of evolutionary theories of religion in my paper, but question the way in which this lack would undermine my critiques of the theology-laden discourse of science and religion scholars.
The aim of this paper is to question and criticise the employment of critical realism in the fiel... more The aim of this paper is to question and criticise the employment of critical realism in the field of 'science and religion'. Referring to the texts of four main actors in this field I will demonstrate how the choice of critical realism is justified by a (disguised) apologetic interest in defending the epistemic privilege of the theological enterprise against that of the natural sciences. I will argue that this is possible thanks to the re-activation of 'theological potential' latent in some under-examined assumptions and conceptual structures still at work within philosophy of science and scientific epistemology.
In this paper I will offer a survey of Quentin Meillassoux’s thought, focusing on what I identify... more In this paper I will offer a survey of Quentin Meillassoux’s thought, focusing on what I identify as the central node of his thought, the link between mathematics and contingency. I will then proceed to question the compatibility of his principle of radical contingency with the philosophy—and the practice—of science, and I will propose a possible solution to this problem by pushing Meillassoux along the Pythagorean path. Finally, I will argue that 1) his project of evacuating metaphysical necessity via a mathematization of reality can be read on a continuum with the critiques of metaphysics of presence (and with the special status assigned to mathematical formalism) operated by Jacques Derrida and Alain Badiou; and 2) his philosophy can be understood as a philosophy of science only if we allow speculations aimed at subverting core metaphysical conceptual structures to have a bearing upon empirically-based scientific practice.
This article aims at giving an overview of the network of forces that led to the movement, within... more This article aims at giving an overview of the network of forces that led to the movement, within Continental Philosophy, of Speculative Realism. In particular I will consider the external influence that the dramatic developments of the natural sciences (particularly physics and cosmology) in the last 40 years had on philosophy, and I will argue that the contemporary return to 'realism' is an intra-philosophical reaction to the Science Wars in the 1990s. I argue that the identity of 21st century Continental Philosophy will have to be developed as a reaction, an assimilation, and an adaptation to the natural sciences.
The aim of this paper is to offer a critical evaluation of the field of “science and religion” th... more The aim of this paper is to offer a critical evaluation of the field of “science and religion” through a brief description of its academic evolution, of the kind of scholars involved in it, and the publications belonging to it. Some elements of this discourse will be highlighted and criticized, namely a number of eurocentric theological assumptions, and what I will define as a “soteriological rhetoric” which serves as a legitimating device for the field, both ubiquitously employed in the work of the scholars involved in the field. I will argue, moreover, that such a rhetoric is the direct product of confessional interests, which disguise the field's theological apologetical aims with appeals to the universal welfare of an ethnocentrically limited conception of “humanity.”
This paper offers a parallel analysis of the concept of śūnyatā in Nāgārjuna’s philosophy and the... more This paper offers a parallel analysis of the concept of śūnyatā in Nāgārjuna’s philosophy and the concept of zero in mathematics. A historical survey of the development of zero in its Indian origin and an appraisal of its role in contemporary mathematics is undertaken in the first part, while an analysis of Nāgārjuna’s śūnyatā is provided in the second. The third and concluding part considers a possible, speculative parallel configuration of concepts, approached through a philosophical framework inspired by the philosophy of Jacques Derrida and Alain Badiou.
This review essay attempts to present a coherent and reasonably unitary picture of the contempora... more This review essay attempts to present a coherent and reasonably unitary picture of the contemporary ‘Speculative Turn’ as charted in the reviewed volume. Avoiding a more objective yet more anodyne chapter by chapter summary, I paint an intentionally synoptic view by selecting some common concerns of the authors involved, and group them under five ‘core themes’. Throughout, I try to keep open the comparative channel with the realist tenets of Critical Realism, and conclude vouching for the necessity of more bridge-building works to appear in the future.
Interview, conducted by Vincenzo Santarcangelo.
Published in Methode: Analytic Perspectives, Vol... more Interview, conducted by Vincenzo Santarcangelo.
Paper delivered at the 'Continental Realism Beyond Philosophy' Workshop, Trinity College Business... more Paper delivered at the 'Continental Realism Beyond Philosophy' Workshop, Trinity College Business School, Dublin, on May 1st 2015.
Slides (in English) for the invited paper presented (in Italian) at the International Series of L... more Slides (in English) for the invited paper presented (in Italian) at the International Series of Lectures: “Realisms New and Old”, TURIN – FONDAZIONE GUZZO, on the 17th of March 2015
The aim of this paper will be to construct an interpretation of regions as existentially meaningf... more The aim of this paper will be to construct an interpretation of regions as existentially meaningful spaces, following Heidegger’s section on spatiality in the context of his Being and Time. The conceptual distinction between ‘existential space’ and ‘Cartesian space’ will be defined. Here the concept of ‘region’ (Gegend)—as a referential zone of our functional dealing with the world—is introduced, as opposed to homogeneous physical space. By identifying the active role of human agents (and their concerns) in constituting and demarcating ‘regions’ and ‘territories’ I will attempt to interrogate conventional geographical designations—in particular the characteristic East-West regional distinction, which usually informs academic departmental separation—and to propose a possible technological public space where ‘regional’ and ‘existential’ are able to completely substitute physical space as a locus of absolute de-severance.
The purpose of this paper will be an examination of Dignāga’s (a fifth century CE Buddhist philos... more The purpose of this paper will be an examination of Dignāga’s (a fifth century CE Buddhist philosopher, widely considered the father of Buddhist logic) influential theory of cognition (pramāηa) as delineated in his main work, the Pramānasamuccaya, a theorization that had a massive importance and influence in the development of Buddhist logic. Of the two basic elements in his theory, perception (pratyakṣa) and inference (anumāna), I will specifically focus on the characteristics of pratyakṣa. The structure of Dignāga’s argument, its ontological repercussions, and its deep coherence with the Buddhist philosophical worldview as a whole will be analyzed and explained through the comparison with some contemporary theories in the western philosophy of mind, namely the sense-data theory. I will argue that this comparison could shed some light on the link between the idea of pratyakṣa and the Buddhist theory of universal flux and non-inherent existence of the objects of sensory perception and help to show how the concept of a nonconceptual perception fits into—and becomes necessary for—the Buddhist worldview.
The aim of this paper will be a review of the theoretical origins of the concept of Dark Energy i... more The aim of this paper will be a review of the theoretical origins of the concept of Dark Energy in contemporary cosmology, tracing back its evolution from Einstein’s introduction of the cosmological constant λ in its field equations, through the observations of the CMBR and the observational confirmation of the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe in 1998 to more recent evidence for the existence of Dark Energy as drawn from observations of the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe Effect and models of the LSS of the universe. Some theories, including contributions from particle physics, around the nature of dark energy such as the quintessence hypothesis will be considered. Finally, future missions for the study of dark energy will be described.
The aim of this paper will be a review of current developments in the search for extraterrestrial... more The aim of this paper will be a review of current developments in the search for extraterrestrial life. I will proceed in the following way: firstly I will define what is being searched for, i.e., life as a biological process arising from certain physical conditions; secondly I will review methods through which the search is carried forward, looking for physical locations in the universe which could harbour life; thirdly, I will focus on the problem of intelligent life, its scientific status, physical constraints and anthropocentric biases.
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Published in Methode: Analytic Perspectives, Volume, 4 Number 5 (2015).
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.13135/2281-0498%2F141