Retorica Vivente. Un approccio retorico alla filosofia del linguaggio.

Starting from some suggestions from Living Thought. The Origins and Actuality of Italian Philosophy (R. Esposito, 2010), this paper sustains that rhetoric can be a fruitful way of doing philosophy of language. According to Esposito, one of the main characteristics of the so called italian thought is the focus on the necessary connection between language and extra-linguistic world. In this article I argue that rhetoric, thanks to its extra-linguistic aim (persuasion), pays particular attention to this connection. This attitude involves many important consequences such as: 1. considering speakers and listeners as essential components of speech and not as its external users; 2. assigning a key position to the listener; 3. including the sphere of emotion in the field of reflection on language; 4. considering truth as a social practice; 5. considering the agonistic dimension as a constitutive element of the speech. All these characteristics make rhetoric a productive philosophical reflection on language

Valutare il merito. Pistis ed epiekeia nella Retorica di Aristotele.

Nel secondo capitolo del primo libro della Retorica, definendo la prova basata sull’ethos (1356a 4-13), Aristotele collega la capacità dell’oratore di risultare credibile (pistos) presso il suo uditorio all’epieikeia, una qualità morale tipica del saggio (phronimos) che svolge un ruolo importante anche nella teoria aristotelica della giustizia (EN 1337a 32-1138a 3). In linea generale, la caratteristica specifica dell’epieikes è per Aristotele la capacità di esprimere giudizi e prendere decisioni caso per caso tenendo conto delle circostanze, anche al di là di ciò che è stabilito dalla legge (dikaion). In questo articolo mettiamo in luce come questo riferimento all’epieikeia in ambito retorico offra numerosi spunti di riflessione sulla questione più generale relativa alla valutazione del merito nel discorso pubblico.In the second chapter of the first book of Rhetoric, when Aristotle defines the proof based on the ethos (1356a 4-13), he links the credibility of the speaker to the epieikeia, a moral quality typical of the wise man (phronimos) which plays an important role also in the Aristotelian theory of justice (EN 1337a 32-1138a 3). In general, according to Aristotle the specific characteristic of the epieikes is the ability to make judgments and make case-by-case decisions, taking into account the circumstances, even beyond what is established by law (dikaion). In this article we point out that this reference to epieikeia in the rhetoric offers food for thought on the more general issue concerning the evaluation of merit in public discourse

Hopping in the crowd to unveil network topology

We introduce a nonlinear operator to model diffusion on a complex undirected network under crowded conditions. We show that the asymptotic distribution of diffusing agents is a nonlinear function of the nodes' degree and saturates to a constant value for sufficiently large connectivities, at variance with standard diffusion in the absence of excluded-volume effects. Building on this observation, we define and solve an inverse problem, aimed at reconstructing the a priori unknown connectivity distribution. The method gathers all the necessary information by repeating a limited number of independent measurements of the asymptotic density at a single node that can be chosen randomly. The technique is successfully tested against both synthetic and real data, and shown to estimate with great accuracy also the total number of nodes

Parole come armi. Riflessioni sull’intreccio tra parlare e combattere

Argomento di questo articolo è l'associazione tra ‘parlare’e ‘combattere’. Tale associazione affonda le sue radici nella cultura greca arcaica, ed è ancora la base per le molteplici espressioni che attingono all'ambito del conflitto per riferirsi all’attività verbale. L’idea di fondo è che una riflessione su tale associazione possa contribuire a una migliore comprensione dell’odio discorsivo e, più in generale, del rapporto tra linguaggio e violenza. La tesi è che la relazione tra ‘parlare’ e ‘combattere’ sia un intreccio profondo che è meglio comprendere in termini di chiasmo piuttosto che di metafora.The topic of this article is the association between speaking and fighting. This association is rooted in archaic Greek culture, and it is still the basis for the many expressions that draw on the domain of conflict to refer to verbal activity. The guiding idea is that a reflection on this association can contribute to a better understanding of discursive hatred and, more generally, of the relationship between language and violence. The thesis is that the relationship between speaking and fighting is a deep entanglement that is best understood in terms of a chiasmus rather than a metaphor

Rhetoric as Philosophy of Language. An Aristotelian Perspective

This paper sustains that rhetoric can be a fruitful way of practicing philosophy of language. The starting point is a suggestion drawn from the work of the Italian philosopher Roberto Esposito. According to Esposito, one of the main characteristics of the Italian thought is the focus on the necessary connection between language and extra-linguistic world. I argue that rhetoric (intended in an Aristotelian sense), thanks to its extra-linguistic aim (persuasion), pays particular attention to this connection. This has important consequences: 1. considering speakers and listeners as essential components of speech and assigning a key position to the listener; 2. including the sphere of emotion in the fi eld of refl ection on language; 3. considering truth as a social practice; 4. considering the agonistic dimension as a constitutive element of the speech

Optimal search strategies on complex multi-linked networks

In this paper we consider the problem of optimal search strategies on multi-linked networks, i.e. graphs whose nodes are endowed with several independent sets of links. We focus preliminarily on agents randomly hopping along the links of a graph, with the additional possibility of performing non-local hops to randomly chosen nodes with a given probability. We show that an optimal combination of the two jump rules exists that maximises the efficiency of target search, the optimum reflecting the topology of the network. We then generalize our results to multi-linked networks with an arbitrary number of mutually interfering link sets

The 3Rs applied to fruits and vegetables surpluses: virtuous examples from Italy

When facing environmental issues associated with food waste, it is necessary to look upstream at the root causes. At the very beginning of the supply chain, there is the first cause of waste generation: unrecovered agriculture surpluses. Given the richness and diversity of farmlands, Europe is a big market for fresh fruits and vegetables, where Italy and Spain are the leading producers. In Italy, the fruits and vegetables sector represents a business of 13 billion Euros and it continues growing. Fruits and vegetables are highly perishable and their marketability as fresh products is severely limited by high quality standards. Fruits and vegetables surpluses are due to several variables like heterogeneous market demand, weather, pests, labour availability, crop gluts, production error and strict standards. Reduction strategies must be given absolute priority targeting digital agriculture techniques (agriculture 4.0), improved forecasting and detailed information exchange among all supply chain stakeholders. Such strategies must then be followed by reduction and recycling ones. In particular, the latest actions shall be focused on avoiding losses and waste generation through fruits and vegetables surpluses valorisation preferably keeping them within the food supply chain mainly through donation and processing, preferably based on green innovative technologies. This review aims to appraise existing accomplishments of fruits and vegetables surpluses minimization gleaned from 3Rs initiatives and to point out virtuous examples within the Italian fruits and vegetables production panorama

Artificial intelligence in clinical endoscopy: Insights in the field of videomics

Artificial intelligence is being increasingly seen as a useful tool in medicine. Specifically, these technologies have the objective to extract insights from complex datasets that cannot easily be analyzed by conventional statistical methods. While promising results have been obtained for various -omics datasets, radiological images, and histopathologic slides, analysis of videoendoscopic frames still represents a major challenge. In this context, videomics represents a burgeoning field wherein several methods of computer vision are systematically used to organize unstructured data from frames obtained during diagnostic videoendoscopy. Recent studies have focused on five broad tasks with increasing complexity: quality assessment of endoscopic images, classification of pathologic and nonpathologic frames, detection of lesions inside frames, segmentation of pathologic lesions, and in-depth characterization of neoplastic lesions. Herein, we present a broad overview of the field, with a focus on conceptual key points and future perspectives

Sense of Coherence (SOC) of Italian healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic: analysis of associated factors

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges for healthcare workers worldwide, potentially affecting their sense of coherence (SOC) and overall well-being. This study aimed to identify factors associated with different levels of SOC among healthcare workers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 628 healthcare workers. SOC scores were assessed using a standardized questionnaire, and data on demographic characteristics, length of service, geographic location, and pandemic-related experiences were collected. Statistical analyses were performed to identify associations between these factors and SOC. Results: Healthcare workers had a lower average SOC score (mean: 57.1) compared to the national average in Italy (mean: 60.3). Younger age and shorter length of service were associated with a higher risk of low SOC (p<0.0001). Healthcare workers in the northwestern regions of Italy had an increased risk of low SOC compared to their counterparts in the northeastern regions (p=0.0336). Adverse pandemic-related experiences and worsening social relationships were also associated with a higher risk of low SOC (p<0.0001). Conclusions: This study highlights the unique challenges and stressors faced by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on SOC. Age, length of service, geographic location, and social were significant factors influencing SOC levels. Targeted interventions are needed to enhance SOC and well-being, particularly for younger and newly employed healthcare workers. Strategies promoting social connections, work-life balance, and psychological support services are crucial to support healthcare workers' resilience and coping abilities