Paolo Crocchiolo presents his newest book: The Touch of Life, The Mind between Sensuality and Intellect.
- Auditorium, Wednesday November 23, 18.40-20.00
Written as a long conversation with his daughter Danae, in this book Paolo Crocchiolo tries to explain where the mind finishes and the universe begins — which is not an easy task, since mind and universe seem to intertwine and confound in an inextricable tangle. To aid in his explanation he resorts to a variety of narratives and dialogues drawn from different mythological, historical, literary, and autobiographical sources. The evolutionary development of the mind, and of its neural correlates within the brain, is illustrated in an imagined sequel to Lucian of Samosata’s True Story, the first classical literature example of a science fiction novel, revisited as a sort of adventurous cosmogonic exploration journey. Finally, a lively imaginary debate between Epicurus, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud focuses the impact of evolutionary and contemporary neuroscientific theories on today’s economic, political and social issues.
The Touch of Life (Daviesgroup Publishers, 2011) will be presented by Prof. Bjørn Thomassen and Mr. Iddar Adingad, followed by discussion with the audience.
