Roberto Marchesini - Böcker

In recent years, the word 'virus' has lost its biological perimeter of reference to acquire a much broader - could say 'paradigmatic' - meaning. The term 'virus' can be seen as a key word or an explanatory model also for processes that go beyond the infectious sphere. Every event appears to have a viral character: from the way information is transmitted to the processes of cultural globalization, from the impact of human beings on the planet to the subversion of ecosystems, from pandemic risks to the demographic increase on the planet. This seems to be indeed the Age of the Virus. Its model can be applied to most of the phenomena that characterize the twenty-first. Its profile - its looming and invisible nature, its ability to use other people's resources to spread and to transform into a dangerous doppelganger - is perfect to represent the fears of the contemporary age.

Posthumanist Manifesto: A Pluralistic Approach compares the posthumanist proposal with humanism and transhumanism in ethics, aesthetics, ontology, and epistemology. Roberto Marchesini clarifies the specificity of the posthumanist approach and the novelty of its theoretical and applicative program. Beyond theoretical aspects of poshumanism, this book proposes new approaches to social models, personal rights and citizenship, the relationship between the biosphere and the ecological crisis, and the impact of technology.This book answers questions such as “What is posthumanism and why does it have this definition?”; “How does posthumanism differ from other theoretical approaches?”; and “What are the urgencies to be addressed for posthumanist critique?” The author explores how posthumanism interprets technology in relationship with the body, how to think of a posthumanist anthropology, what ontological transformations posthumanism introduces, and why we can talk about a paradigmatic metamorphosis with respect to humanism, as posthumanism thinks and plans the society of the future.

The primary purpose of this book is to contribute to an overcoming of the traditional separation between humanties and life sciences which, according to the authors, is required today both by the developments of these disciplines and by the social problems they have to face.

The primary purpose of this book is to contribute to an overcoming of the traditional separation between humanties and life sciences which, according to the authors, is required today both by the developments of these disciplines and by the social problems they have to face.

This book deals with the theme of creativity in the animal world, conceived as a basic function for adapting to specific situations and as a source of innovations and inventions.

This book deals with the theme of creativity in the animal world, conceived as a basic function for adapting to specific situations and as a source of innovations and inventions. Creativity is a fundamental resource for the individual who always has a leading role in conduct. To explain creativity, the book focuses on the concept of animal subjectivity, providing a new explanatory model of behavior capable of overcoming the image of the animal moved by automatisms. This model does not use consciousness as a necessary condition, but is based: 1) on affective components, such as behavioral motives, and 2) cognitive, as tools used by the subject to carry out his purposes. Particular attention is paid to the learning processes showing the subjective character of the experience. One topic addressed is the role of creativity in the evolution of living beings: how an invention, by modifying the niche characteristics, is able to change the selective pressures and the trajectory of phylogeny. Roberto Marchesini explains that creativity is a factor that is anything but rare or exceptional in the animal world—it constitutes a fundamental quality for many aspects of animal life.

This book presents a new way to understand human–animal interactions. Offering a profound discussion of topics such as human identity, our relationship with animals and the environment, and our culture, the author channels the vibrant Italian traditions of humanism, materialism, and speculative philosophy.The research presents a dialogue between the humanities and the natural sciences. It challenges the separation and oppression of animals with a post-humanism steeped in the traditions of the Italian Renaissance.Readers discover a vision of the human as a species informed by an intertwining with animals. The human being is not constructed by an onto-poetic process, but rather by close relations with otherness. The human system is increasingly unstable and, therefore, more hybrid.The argument it presents interests scholars, thinkers, and researchers. It also appeals to anyone who wants to delve intothe deep animal–human bond and its philosophical, cultural, political instances.The author is a veterinarian, ethologist, and philosopher. He uses cognitive science, zooanthropology, and philosophy to engage in a series of empirical, theoretical, and practice-based engagements with animal life. In the process, he argues that animals are key to human identity and culture at all levels.

Offering a profound discussion of topics such as human identity, our relationship with animals and the environment, and our culture, the author channels the vibrant Italian traditions of humanism, materialism, and speculative philosophy. The research presents a dialogue between the humanities and the natural sciences.