Evandro Agazzi (born 1934) is an Italian philosopher and professor at the

University of Genoa The University of Genoa, known also with the acronym UniGe ( it, Università di Genova), is one of the largest universities in Italy. It is located in the city of Genoa and regional Metropolitan City of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguri ...

. His fields of interest are

ethics of science and technology Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premise ...

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

philosophy of language In analytic philosophy, philosophy of language investigates the nature of language and the relations between language, language users, and the world. Investigations may include inquiry into the nature of meaning, intentionality, reference, ...

philosophy of science Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ult ...

philosophical anthropology Philosophical anthropology, sometimes called anthropological philosophy, is a discipline dealing with questions of metaphysics and phenomenology of the human person. History Ancient Christian writers: Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ...

, and

systems theory Systems theory is the interdisciplinary study of systems, i.e. cohesive groups of interrelated, interdependent components that can be natural or human-made. Every system has causal boundaries, is influenced by its context, defined by its structu ...

Education

He is a graduate of the

University of Milan The University of Milan ( it, Università degli Studi di Milano; la, Universitas Studiorum Mediolanensis), known colloquially as UniMi or Statale, is a public research university in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe ...

where he studied physics and the

Catholic University of Milan The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

where he earned a

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

. in philosophy in 1957. Agazzi also did post graduate work at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and the universities of

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approxima ...

and

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

Teaching

Agazzi taught mathematics at Genoa, and philosophy of science and mathematical logic at the Catholic University of Milan. He then was named professor of the philosophy of science at Genoa in 1970. He was named chair of philosophical anthropology, philosophy of nature and philosophy of science at the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisi ...

in 1979. He has served as visiting professor at the

University of Düsseldorf A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

, the

University of Berne The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It is a comp ...

, the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

, Stanford University, and the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...

as well as other institutions of learning.

Professional associations

He is currently president of the International Academy of Philosophy of Science, honorary president of the

International Federation of Philosophical Societies The International Federation of Philosophical Societies (French: ''Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie'', FISP) is a world organization for learned societies in philosophy. Its member-societies arguably include every country ...

and of the

International Institute of Philosophy International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. He previously served as president of the Italian Society of Logic and Philosophy of Science, the Italian Philosophical Society, and the Swiss Society of Logic and Philosophy of Science. He served as treasurer of the International Council for Philosophy and Humanities of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. He also has been a member of the Italian National Committee for Bioethics.

Publications

Editor

Journals

Agazzi was the editor of Epistemologia, a former Italian journal for the philosophy of science, and of Nuova Secondaria, an Italian journal for high school teachers. He is a consulting editor for several international journals, including Revue Internationale de Philosophie, Zeitschrift für allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie and

Modern Logic Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Modern age, Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century ...

Author

Journal articles

Agazzi has published over seven hundred articles in scholarly journals and essays in volumes of collected works. He is the author of nineteen books, including '' Philosophie, Science, Métaphysique'', '' Right, Wrong and Science: The Ethical Dimensions of the Techno-Scientific Enterprise''

Books

*''Philosophy of Mathematics Today'' (with György Darvas, 1997) *''Realism and Quantum Physics'' (1998) *''Advances in the Philosophy of Technology'' (with

Hans Lenk Hans Lenk (born 23 March 1935) is a German rower who competed for the United Team of Germany in the 1960 Summer Olympics, and an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy. He was born in Berlin. In 1960, he was a crew member of the West German boat wh ...

, 1999) *''The Reality of the Unobservable'' (with Massimo Pauri, 2000) *''Life-Interpretation and the Sense of Illness within the Human Condition: Medicine and Philosophy in a Dialogue'' (with

Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka (February 28, 1923 – June 7, 2014) was a Polish philosopher, phenomenologist, founder and president of The World Phenomenology Institute, and editor (from its inception in the late 1960s) of the book series, ''Analecta ...

, 2001) *''The Problem of the Unity of Science'' (with Jan Faye, 2001) *''Complexity and Emergence'' (with Luisa Montecucco, 2002) *''Valori e limiti del senso comune'' (2004)

Awards and honors

* Centro di Studi Filosofici di Gallarate in 1962 for his book ''Introduzione ai problemi dell’assiomatica'' * Cortina-Ulisse in 1983 * Prince of Liechtenstein Prize in 1983 for his book ''Il bene, il male e la scienza'' * International Prize for Philosophy Salento in 2004 for his global work

External links

Agazzi's webpage at U of GenoaWorks by Evandro Agazzi at PhilPapers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agazzi, Evandro Members of the International Academy of Philosophy of Science 1934 births Living people Writers from Bergamo Philosophers of science Italian logicians Academic staff of the University of Genoa Foreign Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences 20th-century Italian philosophers 21st-century Italian philosophers University of Milan alumni Academic staff of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa