1) Research Areas
This project explores the paradoxes of truth, vagueness, sets, and properties, and the prospects for unified solutions. The project involves the foundations of logic, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mathematics.
2) Impact of International Collaborations
The project includes international collaborations with Profs. P. Égré (ENS Paris), and H. Omori (Ruhr-Universität Bochum), world-leading experts on truth, vagueness, and paradoxes.
- Both the PI and the post-doc will visit Prof. Égré in Paris for 1 month each, working with him and other researchers at the ENS, and giving talks on the project.
- Prof. Omori will visit Turin for one month, working with Unito researchers, giving a talk at the LLC Seminar, and giving guest lectures to philosophy classes at MA levels (especially the Philosophy International Curriculum).
- Profs. Égré and Omori will be invited speakers at the international workshop that will close the project.
The expected outcomes in terms of research and teaching fully cohere with the relevant objectives in the UniTO triennial strategic plan 2021-2023. More specifically, the project will significantly contribute to the following objectives:
B) The promotion of research on a global level. The project aims at tackling some of the most pressing issues in the foundations of logics, mathematics, and semantics in a unified way. Such research will be highly integrated within the international research group, and the success of the international collaboration we propose will be guaranteed by strong existing research connections and shared interests:
- Prof. Égré published 3 joint papers (with a fourth in preparation) with Dr. Rossi and Prof. Sprenger, has a Handbook of Three-Valued Logics (forthcoming with the MIT Press) co-edited with Dr. Rossi, and was a visiting professor in our Department last year.
- Prof. Omori has recently interacted with Profs. Crupi and Iacona, and will be instrumental in bridging many research interests shared by Profs. Crupi, Iacona, Plebani, Sprenger, Dr. Rossi and the post-doc to be hired, on truth, paradoxes, and beyond (e.g. conditionals, non-classical logics). This indicates that the project will promote collaborations that will result in several joint publications, in the years to come, from the interaction between Profs. Egré, Omori, and Unito researchers, increasing the international visibility of the Department of Philosophy and Education Sciences and of the University of Turin, and strengthening connections with major European research institutions (ENS Paris and Bochum).
D.1) Study and research experiences abroad. The project will involve two visiting periods at the ENS Paris, one of the most important research centers for core foundational disciplines (in philosophy, mathematics, and semantics) on a global scale.
D.2) International courses and D4) Teaching integration within international and european networks. The project will involve inviting Prof. Omori as a guest lecturer in our department, thus significantly contributing to the internationalization of our teaching offer.
E.1) Hiring young researchers. The project will hire a post-doc for 12 months, via an international and highly competitive call for applications.
Finally, due to its main link with a French institution (ENS Paris), the project will contribute to the integration with the cultural heritage of romance languages and cultures, and has the potential to promote further research collaboration with French universities within the context of the UNITA network.
3) Project Description
A paradox is an argument which, starting from apparently true premises and employing apparently correct steps, leads to unacceptable conclusions. In foundational studies (e.g. logic, mathematics, semantics), paradoxes have proven to be an invaluable source of knowledge -- from set theory, to theories of truth, to the s