PhD in PHILOSOPHY

Annual report of the teaching and training activities carried out by the Doctorate in Philosophy in the academic year 2022-2023, of the research activities of the Doctoral students. The report is structured as follows:
A. Research activities of the PhD students
B. Permanent seminars organised by the PhD
 

A. Research Activities of the PhD students

 
1^st year - cycle XXXVIII

 
In the 1^st year of the course, all the PhD students of cycle XXXVIII have successfully carried out two types of activities: (1) didactic; (2) research, and some of them also (3) organizational activities and (4) third mission activities. The PhD students met their supervisors at least monthly to discuss the progress of their research and any difficulties encountered.
 
LORUSSO Claudio (hereinafter CL). Supervisor: DP Taormina, L. Perilli
Thesis title: “Sic vita est: Galenic embryology. Life origin, formation, and development”
(1) Didactic activities
CL actively participated in all the seminars held within the scope of the PhD program. He also attended meetings and seminars of the Interdipartmental Center “Forme del sapere nel mondo antico” organized by Prof. Perilli regarding ancient medicine. He attended an 18-week online German course at the Goethe-Institut Italia, reaching level B1. He attended the conference “Che cos’è un embrione? Il dibattito sulla natura dell’embrione tra Antichità e Medioevo” (University of L’Aquila, 30-31/03/2023); and attended online the seminar series “Physiologies médicales et philosophiques” organized by Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. He also spent a period of study at the Centre Léon Robin of the CNRS (Paris).
(2) Research activities
CL revised his research project, selecting Galenic embryology as the project’s conceptual framework, following discussions with several professors from the Doctoral College. He pinpointed two specific issues: (a) Galen’s reconsideration concerning the primary organ (heart or liver) in fetal development, and (b) the challenge of malformations within the context of Galenic finalism. He then collected passages from Galen’s works related to these issues, analyzing De Semine, De Foetuum Formatione, De Usu Partium, De Facultatibus Naturalis. He then compiled a bibliography on these topics. He participated in bi-monthly meetings with the supervisors.
(3) Organizational activities
CL organized, within the PhD program, the seminar held by G. Ecca, “Sneezing in ancient gynecology: Galen’s commentary on Hippocratic aphorism V 35, held on 25/10/2023.
 
MARCONI Monja (hereinafter MM), Supervisor G. Pulcini, S. Achella (University of Chieti-Pescara)
Thesis Title: “The idea of determinism between method and practice”.
(1) Didactic activities
In addition to participating in seminars within the PhD program, MM attended the French course, level C1, taught by Prof. Christophe Saint-Jean at Tor Vergata University. Furthermore, in March and April 2023, MM attended two out of three seminar meetings organized by Prof. Claudio Corradetti at the Austrian Institute on the Frankfurt School.
(2) Research activities
Following the guidance of her supervisors, MM structured her research and began working on the relationship between Kojève and Koyré. She then took part in the International Symposium “Tyrants at work philosophy, right and politics” (24-24/05/2023, Link University, Rome) and presented a paper at the International Colloquium “Penser la connectivité de l’espace méditerranéen” titled “Kojève et l’idée d’un empire anti-impérialiste: l’Empire latin comme espace commun et lieu de rencontre de la culture méditerranéenne” (University of Toulon, 28-30/06/2023).
 
MENDICINO Antonio (hereinafter AM), Supervisor A. Aportone, A. Kern (Leipzig University)
Thesis Title: “At the origins of normativity: the role of Kantian schematism in the conceptualism-nonconceptualism debate”
(1) Didactic activities
AM actively participated in all seminars held within the scope of the PhD program (“On Character”, “Exegesis of a Classic”, “Philosophy’s Places”, “Philosophy and Mathematics”) and in the Conference “Forms of Mathematical Thought”. During the “Exegesis of a Classic” Seminar, he also presented some paragraphs of the Deduction in the “Critique of Pure Reason,” delving into (with benefit for his research project) the secondary literature on the first Critique and particularly on the Deduction (H.E. Allison, G. Bird, M. Willashek, D. Schulting, and W. Sellars). AM also actively attended the German language lectures for LM students held by Professor Kunzemann and, to further improve his German proficiency, enrolled in the German language course on the self-learning platform “Rosetta Stone”. AM also actively participated in the seminar “Philosophy and Mathematics” (Speakers: A. Balbi, L. Cimmino, M. Morganti) held on 9/10/2023.
(2) Research activities
AM participated in two Conferences:
-As part of an agreement between the Universities of Roma Tor Vergata, Vechta (Germany), and Bergen (Norway), he attended a series of seminars on “The concept of ‘system’ in Kant and in German Idealism” (Vechta, 18-24 May 2023).
-He also presented a paper titled “At the Origins of Normativity: The Role of Kantian Schematism in the Conceptualism-Nonconceptualism Debate” at the International predoctoral workshop of the Kant-Gesellschaft (2nd international conference Kant-València, 8-10 Nov. 2023).
Regarding the research project and in accordance with his supervisor, AM focused on bibliographic research, a more precise delineation of the research scope, and a possible provisional summary of the thesis. He delved into Kant’s philosophy, studying the “Prolegomena to any future metaphysics”, the “Critique of Pure Reason”, and the “Critique of Judgment”, while also exploring John McDowell’s “Mind and World”, especially in its Kantian references. Additionally, he deepened his understanding of the debate between conceptualists and non-conceptualists and Kantian schematism.
(3) Organizational activities
Together with Dr. Claudia Rossi and within the framework of the PhD program, AM organized the study meeting “Physical time and transcendental time: the evolution of the concept of time in the history of science and philosophy” (9/10/2023).
(4) Third mission
AM, with FM and CR, presented the book “Presupposti e pregiudizi: elementi di critica della conoscenza e critica dei preconcetti” - Rome, Virgilio State High School (13/05/2023).
 
MORA Maria (hereinafter MM), Supervisor A. Charrak (University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), G. Patella – co-supervisor (University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)
Thesis Title: “The historicity of perception in Walter Benjamin”
(1) Didactic activities
In addition to attending all seminars of the PhD program, MM participated in Professor D. Pradelle’s seminars “Sur la Critique de la raison pure” and Professor A. Charrak’s seminar “L’historicité du sensible”, respectively at Paris 4 Sorbonne University and University Paris 1-Panthéon Sorbonne; September-December 2022. She also attended the Fourth seminar on Benjamin’s surrealism of the Italian Walter Benjamin Association: Study Day “Spazio immaginativo e pratiche politiche” and Andrea Pinotti’s Lecture “Innervazione. Politica e tecnica della percezione”.
(2) Research activities
Forthcoming publication “Les formes du mystère chez Walter Benjamin” in Louis Guerpillon and Matthieu Eychenié (ed.) “Mystère et mystique”. MM drafted the first chapters of the first part of the thesis (titled “Esquisses pour une pensée de la perception dans les premiers écrits de W. Benjamin”): the first chapter analyzes the relationship between the history of perception and the history of myth; the second develops the definition of perception as language through a critical commentary on the essay “Über Sprache überhaupt und über die Sprache des Menschen” (1916).
(3) Organizational activities
Participation as an assistant in the artistic direction of Valeriana Berchicci’s work “Benjamin! Berlin!” (curated by Janine Arndt –Stiftung Berliner Leben, with the participation of the Akademie der Künste Berlin, Walter Benjamin Archive, Walter Benjamin Society, Italian Walter Benjamin Association, Biblioteca Hertziana, and Goethe Institut in Rome).
 
MOSCA Filippo (hereinafter FM), Supervisor: F. Aronadio, A. Pichler (University of Bergen)
Thesis Title: “The notion of object in Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus: a lexicological investigation”
(1) Didactic activities
FM actively participated in all seminars within the scope of the PhD program. From October 2023 to April 2024, he has been conducting his research activity at the Wittgenstein Archives in Bergen. He has regular meetings (both in person and online) with his supervisors and is attending online seminars in Rome for the academic year 2023-2024.
(2) Research activities
Among the numerous extracurricular seminars and conferences FM attended, noteworthy ones include: 08/05/2023 - Rome - Webinar: “Considerazioni sulla tecnologia GPT”; 18/05/2023 - Rome, La Sapienza University - Conference: “Wittgenstein, Culture and Forms of Life.” He also participated in the “44th International Wittgenstein Symposium 2023” (Kirchberg am Wechsel, Austria; 06/08-12/08/2024) with a paper titled “World, Reality and Negative Facts: An Attempt at Commentary Interpretation.” His review of “Wittgenstein filosofo della mente” by Egidi is in press in “Philosophy Kitchen.” For the specific purposes of his doctoral thesis, FM is conducting a lexicological investigation, applying the LDA textual analysis model to Russell’s texts; he has prepared a video tutorial for the WAB website and enhanced the site’s search functions.
(3) Organizational activities
He organized, within the PhD program, the seminar by C. Marras (CNR, ILIESI) on “Digital Humanities e filosofia. Modelli, Metodi e ricerche”.
(4) Third mission
FM, together with AM and CR, presented the book “Presupposti e pregiudizi: elementi di critica della conoscenza e critica dei preconcetti” - Rome, Virgilio State High School (13/05/2023).
 
PALMA Pierangela (hereinafter PP), Supervisor Jose Luis Linaza Iglesias (Autonomous University of Madrid) Co-Supervisor G. Patella, C. Colombati – jointly supervised.
Thesis Title: “Leopold Auer: a great violin master. Artistic ideology and aesthetic analysis of his treaties and works”
(1) Didactic activities
PP participated, in addition to seminars offered within the PhD program at Tor Vergata, in numerous seminars at the University of Helsinki, the Sibelius Academy, and the East Helsinki Music Institute.
(2) Research activities
Speaker at the NASS XIII Helsinki 2023 conference organized by the Nordic Association of Semiotic Studies (09/06/2023) with a presentation titled “The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: a historical review of the version by Leopold Auer”. The presentation has already been translated into Finnish and will be published. Presentation of the doctoral work at the Music Library Seminar Room, Baird Hall – Buffalo (12/10/2023).
Stay abroad:
-at the University of Helsinki - Finland (10/1-11/07/2023)
-at the University of Buffalo – USA (27/09-28/10/2023)
Drafting of the first chapter of the thesis on Auer’s biography.
 
QUINZI Giulia (hereinafter GQ), Supervisor P. Quintili, A. Charrak (University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)
Thesis Title: “Diderot’s manifestative aesthetics. The paradox of the subject between immersive sensibility and conditioned imagination”
(1) Didactic activities
 In addition to attending all seminars within the scope of the PhD program, GQ deepened her knowledge of the French language by attending a B2 level course lasting four weeks at the Alpadia school (Lyon).
(2) Research activities
Research and definition, concerning Diderot’s philosophy, of the following concepts, with collection of notes and critical material: aesthetic experience, theory of knowledge, poetic sensitive materialism, technique and operability of knowledge, order and structure of language. GQ also drafted a provisional index of her thesis. She also participated in the conferences “The shapes of time in the age of Enlightenment” (27-30/06 and 03-07/07/2023).
 
ROSSI Claudia (hereinafter CR), Supervisor A. Aportone, A. Balbi
Thesis Title: “Interaction as a fundamental characteristic of sensibility: an investigation on the Kantian concept of noumenon between science and epistemology”
(1) Didactic activities
CR actively participated in all seminars held within the scope of the PhD program.
(2) Research activities
As part of an agreement between the Universities of Roma Tor Vergata, Vechta (Germany), and Bergen (Norway), CR participated in a series of seminars on “The concept of ‘system’ in Kant and in German Idealism” (Vechta, May 18-24, 2023). She also presented a paper titled “The Kantian concept of noumenon: an inquiry between science and epistemology. At the Origins of Normativity: The Role of Kantian Schematism in the Conceptualism-Nonconceptualism Debate” at the International predoctoral workshop of the Kant-Gesellschaft (2nd international conference Kant-València, November 8-10, 2023). She clarified positions within the field of contemporary quantum mechanics: RQM (Quantum Mechanic); QBism (Quantum-Bayesian Views of Quantum Theory); Philosophical Issues in Quantum Theory. She also delved into Sellars’ work, especially regarding the distinction between manifest and scientific image of man advanced by the author and his critical contribution to the Kantian concept of thing-in-itself.
(3) Organizational activities
Together with AM, she organized the study meeting “Tempo fisico e tempo trascendentale: l’evoluzione del concetto di tempo nella storia della scienza e della filosofia” (Speakers: A. Balbi, L. Cimmino, M. Morganti) held on 9/10/2023. She also contacted Prof. Massimi to better organize her planned research stay from 1/02 to 30/04/2024 at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Edinburgh affiliated with the Higgs Center for Theoretical Physics.
(4) Third mission
CR, together with AM and FM, presented the book “Presupposti e pregiudizi: elementi di critica della conoscenza e critica dei preconcetti” - Rome, Virgilio State High School (13/05/2023).

The admission of all students to the following year was approved by the Board on 30.10.2023 (see verbale XXXVIII, n.11)

B. Permanent seminars organised by the PhD