2011 Programme
Evento n.31
Felice Cimatti
Mind, communication and language in animals, including Homo sapiens
It is no longer problematic to speak of animal minds as no-one doubts their existence anymore. If anything, the philosophical and scientific problem is to identify what kinds of minds non-humans have. But why is the animal mind a problem? Why do we question ourselves on the way animal think? After a brief overview on scientists’ and philosophers’ views on the subject of differences between human and animal minds—from Aristotle to Descartes to Derrida—Cimatti will address the issue of language, the specific difference between human and non-human, and its cognitive consequences. What happens to animals when we try to teach them a human communication system? Are animals best left alone?
teaches Philosophy of the mind and Philosophy of communication at the university of Calabria. He iso ne of the presenters of Fahrenheit, the popular cultural show on Channel 3 of Italian public radio. He is a regular contributor to the culture section of il manifesto, to Tuttoscienze (the science insert of La Stampa newsdaily) and to Rivista di Psicoanalisi. He has written many papers and artiche, and his books include La scimmia che si parla. Linguaggio, autoscienza e libertà nell’animale umano (2000) and Il senso della mente. Per una critica del cognitivismo (2004), published by Bollati Boringhieri; La mente silenziosa. Come pensano gli animali non umani (Editori Riuniti, 2002); Il volto e la parola. Per una psicologia superficiale (Quodlibet, 2007); Il possibile ed il reale. Il sacro dopo la morte di Dio (Codice Edizioni, 2009); Senza colpa (Marcos y Marcos, 2010); Naturalmente comunisti. Politica, linguaggio ed economia (Bruno Mondadori, 2011).
Evento n.6
Zygmunt Bauman
Reflections on the notions of community and network, on social networks and Facebook
Evento n.14
Gian Carlo Calza
Different, eccentric, extraordinary: aesthetics and creativity between Asia and the West
Evento n.26
Franco Borgogno
In other people’s hearts and minds. A psychoanalyst between tradition and creativity
Evento n.37
Sonia Bergamasco, Fabrizio Gifuni
A quiet sunny day. Attilio Bertolucci and Pier Paolo Pasolini, a friendship in verse
