Gaspare Polizzi – författare

This book paints a picture of Michel Serres’s ‘complex humanism’ as rooted in the Italian history and culture that are ever present throughout his work. Serres had a complex view of humanity that can’t be boiled down to any single definition, but by understanding his Italian influences it becomes easier to see the big picture in his concept of humanism. In this context, we can more easily confront apparent paradoxes like the nature-inclusive agenda of The Natural Contract and the pessimism of The Parasite.Polizzi explores Serres’ use of the sciences, complexity theory, and the cultures of Rome and Catholicism in his vision of complex humanism that respects both the force and the fragility of the planet. He also puts Serres’ work into new conversations with concepts like the irreversibility of time and the work of Hungarian philosopher Imre Tóth. Through this rich web of ideas, Polizzi shows how Serres’ blending of the sciences and humanities can overcome humanity’s parasitic dependence upon the planet and enter into a new and far more peaceable relationship.

700 years after Dante Alighieri's death, this book intertwines the voice of the great poet with that of an exceptional contemporary, Marco Polo, who was equally curious about the geography of both earthly and celestial worlds.

700 years after Dante Alighieri''s death, this book intertwines the voice of the great poet with that of an exceptional contemporary, Marco Polo, who was equally curious about the geography of both earthly and celestial worlds. If Polo was the “ordinary genius” of the XIII century, the designation of “sorcerer genius” must go to Alighieri, the man with encyclopedic wisdom, at ease with his era’s philosophy, theology, and science. The sorcerer genius—well versed in this world—must create their own, which he did with The Divine Comedy. On the other hand, The Travels of Marco Polo, the greatest classic in travel literature, offers wonder and provides delight. This book combines the unforgettable characters of both books, the darkness of the infernal landscapes with the immensity of the Asian deserts, the richness of the Mongol empire with the glamor of medieval philosophy, the aspirations and dreams of two great explorers with knowledge of the science of their time, as well as the ever-eternal cosmology. This is an accessible and entertaining book for high school students, scholars of scientific history and the history of ideas, and curious readers who want to know more about Dante and Marco Polo and their unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

This book is a translation of an original Italian edition. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation.