Evandro Agazzi
Encyclopedia
Evandro Agazzi is an Italian
philosopher and professor at the University of Genoa
. His fields of interest are ethics of science and technology
, logic
, metaphysics
, philosophy of language
, philosophy of science
, philosophical anthropology
, and systems theory
.
where he studied physics and the Catholic University of Milan where he earned a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1957. Agazzi also did post graduate work at Oxford and the universities of Marburg and Münster
.
at Genoa, and philosophy of science and mathematical logic at the Catholic University of Milan. He then was named professor of the philosophy of science at Genoa in 1970. He was named chair of philosophical anthropology, philosophy of nature and philosophy of science at the University of Fribourg
in 1979. He has served as visiting professor at the University of Düsseldorf, the University of Berne
, the University of Pittsburgh
, Stanford University
, and the University of Geneva
as well as other institutions of learning.
and of the International Institute of Philosophy. He previously served as president of the Italian Society of Logic and Philosophy of Science, the Italian Philosophical Society, and the Swiss Society of Logic and Philosophy of Science. He served as treasurer of the International Council for Philosophy and Humanities of UNESCO
. He also has been a member of the Italian National Committee for Bioethics.
, an Italian journal for the philosophy of science, and of Nuova Secondaria, an Italian journal for high school teachers. He also is a consulting editor for numerous international journals, including Erkenntnis
, Revue Internationale de Philosophie, Zeitschrift für allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie, Medicina e Morale, Modern Logic, Kos
, and Sandhan.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
philosopher and professor at the University of Genoa
University of Genoa
The University of Genoa is one of the largest universities in Italy.Located in Liguria on the Italian Riviera, the university was founded in 1471. It currently has about 40,000 students, 1,800 teaching and research staff and about 1,580 administrative staff.- Campus :The University of Genoa is...
. His fields of interest are ethics of science and technology
Ethics of technology
Ethics in technology is a subfield of ethics addressing the ethical questions specific to the Technology Age. Some prominent works of philosopher Hans Jonas are devoted to ethics of technology. It is often held that technology itself is incapable of possessing moral or ethical qualities, since...
, logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
, metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, philosophy of language
Philosophy of language
Philosophy of language is the reasoned inquiry into the nature, origins, and usage of language. As a topic, the philosophy of language for analytic philosophers is concerned with four central problems: the nature of meaning, language use, language cognition, and the relationship between language...
, philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
, philosophical anthropology
Philosophical anthropology
Philosophical anthropology is a discipline dealing with questions of metaphysics and phenomenology of the human person, and interpersonal relationships. It is the attempt to unify disparate ways of understanding behaviour of humans as both creatures of their social environments and creators of...
, and systems theory
Systems theory
Systems theory is the transdisciplinary study of systems in general, with the goal of elucidating principles that can be applied to all types of systems at all nesting levels in all fields of research...
.
Education
He is a graduate of the University of MilanUniversity of Milan
The University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
where he studied physics and the Catholic University of Milan where he earned a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1957. Agazzi also did post graduate work at Oxford and the universities of Marburg and Münster
University of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
.
Teaching
Agazzi taught mathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at Genoa, and philosophy of science and mathematical logic at the Catholic University of Milan. He then was named professor of the philosophy of science at Genoa in 1970. He was named chair of philosophical anthropology, philosophy of nature and philosophy of science at the University of Fribourg
University of Fribourg
The University of Fribourg is a university in the city of Fribourg, Switzerland.The roots of the University can be traced back to 1582, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg. In 1763, an Academy of law was founded by the state of Frobourg...
in 1979. He has served as visiting professor at the University of Düsseldorf, the University of Berne
University of Berne
The University of Bern is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a broad choice of courses and programmes in eight faculties and some 160 institutes. The university is an...
, the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and the University of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
as well as other institutions of learning.
Professional associations
He is currently president of the International Academy of Philosophy of Science, honorary president of the International Federation of Philosophical SocietiesInternational Federation of Philosophical Societies
The International Federation of Philosophical Societies or Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie is an International Federation of Philosophical Societies, whose member-societies span pretty well every country where there is significant academic philosophy...
and of the International Institute of Philosophy. He previously served as president of the Italian Society of Logic and Philosophy of Science, the Italian Philosophical Society, and the Swiss Society of Logic and Philosophy of Science. He served as treasurer of the International Council for Philosophy and Humanities of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. He also has been a member of the Italian National Committee for Bioethics.
Journals
Agazzi is the editor of EpistemologiaEpistemologia
Epistemologia is an academic journal of philosophy. The journal is focused on analytical philosophy, publishing articles that deal with philosophy of science, epistemology, logic, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind. It publishes articles in English and Italian....
, an Italian journal for the philosophy of science, and of Nuova Secondaria, an Italian journal for high school teachers. He also is a consulting editor for numerous international journals, including Erkenntnis
Erkenntnis
Erkenntnis is a journal of philosophy that publishes papers in analytic philosophy. Its name is derived from the German word for knowledge recognition. The journal was founded by Hans Reichenbach and Rudolf Carnap in 1930. The journal was "refounded" by Wilhelm K. Essler, Carl G...
, Revue Internationale de Philosophie, Zeitschrift für allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie, Medicina e Morale, Modern Logic, Kos
Kos
Kos or Cos is a Greek island in the south Sporades group of the Dodecanese, next to the Gulf of Gökova/Cos. It measures by , and is from the coast of Bodrum, Turkey and the ancient region of Caria. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Kos peripheral unit, which is...
, and Sandhan.
Journal articles
Agazzi has published over seven hundred articles in scholarly journals and essays in volumes of collected works. He is the author of nineteen books, including Philosophie, Science, Métaphysique, Right, Wrong and Science: The Ethical Dimensions of the Techno-Scientific EnterpriseBooks
- Philosophy of Mathematics Today (with György Darvas, 1997)
- Realism and Quantum Physics (1998)
- Advances in the Philosophy of Technology (with Hans LenkHans LenkHans Lenk is a German rower who competed for the Unified Team of Germany in the 1960 Summer Olympics.He was born in Berlin.In 1960 he was a crew member of the German boat which won the gold medal in the eights event....
, 1999) - The Reality of the Unobservable (with Massimo Pauri, 2000)
- Life-Interpretation and the Sense of Illness within the Human Condition: Medicine and Philosophy in a Dialogue (with Anna-Teresa TymienieckaAnna-Teresa TymienieckaAnna-Teresa Tymieniecka is a Polish-born American philosopher, one of the most important and continuously active contemporary phenomenologists, founder and president of The World Phenomenology Institute, and editor of the book series Analecta Husserliana, presently published by...
, 2001) - The Problem of the Unity of Science (with Jan Faye, 2001)
- Complexity and Emergence (with Luisa Montecucco, 2002)
- Valori e limiti del senso comune (2004)
Awards and honors
- Centro di Studi Filosofici di Gallarate in 1962 for his book Introduzione ai problemi dell’assiomatica
- Cortina-Ulisse in 1983
- Prince of Liechtenstein Prize in 1983 for his book Il bene, il male e la scienza
- International Prize for Philosophy Salento in 2004 for his global work