Garda Hosts Philosophy and Art Events Addressing Science and Beauty
The milestones of human history are marked by idols, invented in the attempt to perfect human knowledge. Among these idols today are those of science, which seems capable of everything, except for facing frequent, urgent setbacks: mad cow disease and suspicious drugs are current headlines.
Do we have weapons to defend ourselves? Yes, and among these are philosophy and beauty. This will be discussed at a roundtable tomorrow evening at 9 p.m., in the municipal council chamber along the lakeside. The protagonists include Carlo Sini, one of Italy’s most renowned philosophers, and then Luciano Balzan, philosophy professor at the Università dell’Aquila, and Bernd Kraske, director of museums in northern Germany.
The promotion of artistic initiatives
The promoter of this rather unusual initiative (speaking about philosophy in the midst of the tourist season is uncommon on the shores of Lake Garda) is the «Bottega d’Arte», an institution founded in Garda by painter Toni Fertonani. The same artistic circle that is currently hosting a splendid collective exhibition at the exhibition hall adjacent to the municipality building.
Until September 6, works by Sergio Capellini, Toni Fertonani, Vinicius Pradella, and Giorgio Scarato are on display — the first a sculptor, the other three painters — all well known in the Verona art scene. Fertonani, founder of the «Bottega d’Arte», a globetrotter between the lake and Rio de Janeiro, is the organizer of the collective exhibition, which has received support from the Municipality of Garda and the provincial administration of Verona.
Talks on the themes of beauty and philosophy
But let’s return to tomorrow evening’s roundtable about philosophy and beauty. The theme of the conversation will be: «Beauty, the destiny of man». «Everything that exists and with which we have come into contact», Professor Balzan tells us over the phone, «can be transformed into beauty. We ourselves were born from a smile. We carry it with us despite not thinking about it. It is a destiny that accompanies us. An art exhibition or a philosophical conversation can serve as motivations to become aware of it». And this gathering in Garda should provide quite a few stimuli in this regard.
This is especially true considering the opportunity to approach one of the most perceptive thinkers of our time: Carlo Sini. Professor of theoretical philosophy at the Università statale di Milano, Sini is also a contributor to the cultural pages of the «Corriere della Sera» and «L’Unità».
He recently published a book titled «Gli idoli della conoscenza» («The Idols of Knowledge») by Cortina Edizioni, which raises profound questions about our epistemic practices. «Never before today should we endeavor», Sini said in an interview with «Avvenire» less than a year ago, «to perform a genealogical reconstruction of how we arrived here. The world of scientific objectivity as conceived by scientists risks becoming a superstition».
«The danger», Sini added, «lies in the assertion of a sort of multinational of Western superstition, represented by technoscience, which manages truth with devastating effects. If only everyone were happy and content, superstition would be fine… But that’s not the case». We realize this every time an idol shatters, perhaps with the help and stimulus of beauty itself.