Gianluigi Segalerba

Universitade de Coimbra · Instituto de Estudos Filosóficos

I propose a discussion on my PDF of the study "Aspects of Plato’s Interpretation of Psychic Health and Psychic Illness" which was published in the volume «Philosophy, Bioethics and Mental Health», edited by Stefanija Kožić and Luka Janeš, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, 2024, pp. 167–188. In my study, I examine aspects of Plato's description of the healthy and unhealthy conditions of the soul. My inquiry is mainly directed to Plato's illustration of the progressive degeneration of the soul up to the explosion of mental illness and criminal actions. Throughout my investigation, I point out that the origin and the cause of the unhealthy and healthy conditions of the soul lie in the components of the soul. Due to its components, the soul can both reach a morally healthy condition, on the one hand, and degenerate, on the other hand. The components of the soul are given, but the development of the parts of the soul is not given: the part of the soul which prevails organises the whole soul. Individual actions are a consequence of the disposition of the individual's soul. The possibility of being evil and of falling into a state of criminal madness is directly rooted in one of the components of the soul. The structure of the society depends on the tendency of development of the souls of the individuals living in the society and, vice versa, the development of the individual soul depends on the organisation of the society: the development of the society and the development of the individual soul steadily influence each other. The text of Plato on which I concentrate my attention is the Republic.

I propose a discussion on my PDF-PowerPoint "Artificial Intelligence and Education: questions, opportunities, and perspectives". I used this PDF-PowerPoint for the lecture held as keynote speaker at the International Conference "Education & Artificial Intelligence", organised on Saturday, 9th November 2024 by the FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY - WIDYA MANDIRA CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF KUPANG. The development of Artificial Intelligence in different sectors has produced noteworthy changes: for instance, healthcare, financial sectors, and manufacturing have experienced profound changes due to the application of Artificial Intelligence. The education system is no exception in relation to the application of Artificial Intelligence: the sector of education has already experienced changes and will experience changes in the future, due also to the progress which Artificial Intelligence is making year after year. The theme of Artificial Intelligence in education has different aspects. On the one hand, the application of artificial intelligence gives the opportunity of personalised and efficient learning; it gives moreover the opportunity to improve the teaching activity. The chance of an automated assessment of the students is then to be added. Therefore, both the teaching sector and learning sector are interested by the application of Artificial Intelligence. On the other hand, ethical questions are connected to the subject of Artificial Education. Like every profound reform, the application of artificial intelligence in the sphere of education will confront us with a multi-faceted situation in which we shall find, at the same time, advantages and problems. The questions will go on for years and years: learning and teaching will experience profound changes so that the problems connected to the changes will be several. Due to the complexity of the questions connected to Artificial Intelligence, the questions of the application of Artificial Intelligence in the sphere of education ought to be discussed by teachers, parents, and directors of schools, i.e., the complexity of the question cannot be discussed exclusively in one environment: the complexity of the subject asks for analyses which ought to be fulfilled in different sectors. The discussion within the sector of the school is necessary, but not sufficient to investigate all questions connected to the application of Artificial Intelligence in the education of pupils. The discussion and the analysis of the problems connected to Artificial Intelligence ought to be fulfilled within the families of the pupils too.

I propose a discussion on my text "Notes on Amartya Sen’s interpretation of cultural identity". The text has been published in Progetto Montecristo – Editoriale Delfino, 2024 (Part 1, 17th October 2024; Part 2, 13th October 2024; Part 3, 5th November 2024). My version of the text is available at the bottom of this announcement as an attachment. The printed text can be read at the following web addresses: https://progettomontecristo.editorialedelfino.it/notes-on-amartya-sens-interpretation-of-cultural-identity-part-1/?fbclid=IwY2xjawF-LO5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcksJSIA5mmlR36zzHgGEDR7CF3t3zBmlVl7hcfm4DSXQKZN0fK_Z6Ck7A_aem_UUlZA9crjYqCO-rI22wBBA https://progettomontecristo.editorialedelfino.it/notes-on-amartya-sens-interpretation-of-cultural-identity-part-2/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGF_i1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRV3C-JbUiuvxiKFWvr0HAjR1y4g5zQFFR4Y8eRS4UZ2W-3HF0ooC7WLcA_aem_BNrERzoP9mu6XDskwUz63A https://progettomontecristo.editorialedelfino.it/notes-on-amartya-sens-interpretation-of-cultural-identity-part-3/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGWrLFleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHbXCqP7QOzBkC1mXRe1du63cQqqI1C54Miq4yKUonC_S4Znq6ilgK-0z8w_aem_JBI6HiMQHbA6_Zci1IM0rw In our study, we analyse aspects of Sen’s criticism of specific interpretations of cultural identity. We shall see that, in Sen’s view, different interpretations of cultural identity can be given. The different ways in which the concept of cultural identity is interpreted correspond to different ways of living one’s culture; they are connected to different interpretations of religion and religious identity too. Throughout Sen’s inquiry, we shall find the following interpretations of cultural identity: - The first interpretation of cultural identity, which corresponds to Sen’s interpretation of cultural identity, considers cultural identities as the results of a plurality of components which constantly evolve (this might be defined as the flexible, dynamic, and inclusive view of identity). - The second interpretation considers identity as rigid, complete, isolated, and given once and for all (this could be defined as the rigid and static conception of identity). The second conception of identity corresponds to the aim of producing people and groups as isolated systems. Sen investigates the psychological mechanisms connected to the rigid interpretation of cultural identity. Individuals can be manipulated through the rigid interpretation of identity. Sen shows that the rigid interpretation of cultural identities can be used to marginalise all those who do not belong to those same cultural identities. This interpretation of the cultural identity aims to divide individuals, groups, peoples, and nations from each other. Cultural identities can be used to create a group which, as such, does not exist at all or is not so homogeneous and uniform as those who support this concept of identity aim to let appear. The group is created artificially by an artificial cultural identity. The rigid cultural identity of some groups means the exclusion of other groups. This kind of cultural identity serves to bring about enmity between individuals, groups, nations, countries, and communities: it is thought out to produce hostility from a group towards other groups. In Sen’s view, cultural identities always result from a plurality of cultural components. Cultural identities take elements from other cultural identities. Therefore, cultural identities are not isolated systems: they are the product of a historical development which involves the participation of different individuals, groups, and cultures. Moreover, cultural identities are not made once and for all: on the contrary, cultural identities are dynamic phenomena which continuously take in new elements. For our investigation, we shall refer to Amartya Sen’s study "Identity and Violence. The Illusion of Destiny".

I propose a discussion on the essay "Foundations of reality in Aristotle", published in the Analele Universității din București, Seria Filosofie, Vol. LXXII – Nr. 1, 2023, p. 3-32, ISSN 0068-3175; e-ISSN 2537-4044 – The Annals of the University of Bucharest, Philosophy Series, No. 1 (2023). The printed text can be read and downloaded at the following address: https://journals.unibuc.ro/index.php/aub-philosophy/article/view/496. In my contribution, I analyse some aspects of Aristotle’s interpretation of the organisation of ontology. Aristotle, in many of his works, is looking for a new ontology: through his investigation, Aristotle aims to discover the correct components of the ontology and to put them in the right place. Aristotle’s way of proceeding consists in a progressive opening of the curtains of ontology: concepts such as categories, one, being this something, such, this such, quality, universals and so on are clarified, step by step, in the different works of Aristotle. In the present analysis, I concentrate my attention on the two districts of entities and on the four levels of entities present in Aristotle’s ontology. The two-district scheme is the structure of reality composed of individual and universal entities; the four-level scheme consists in the structure of reality composed of individual substantial entities, individual non-substantial entities, universal substantial properties, and universal non-substantial properties. In both schemes, entities should be put in the due ontological places and, conversely, they should not be assigned to false ontological places. Individual entities are instances of properties (or: instantiated properties); universal properties are programmes/dispositions instantiated by individual entities. The field of the instances is always constituted by individuals (by individual entities), while the whole field of existence is constituted both by individuals (by individual entities) and by universal properties (in the case of the universals connected to biological properties, universals are deputies for properties inscribed in the reality). Keywords: Realms of reality, Aristotle, Categories, Metaphysics, De Ideis, typological ontology, One Over Many, Third Man.

I propose a discussion on my PDF-PowerPoint "Development as Freedom, Development as Responsibility: Integral Development, Social Healing and a New Upanishad of Life: New Horizons of Social Theorizing, Social Transformations and Planetary Realizations and Dialogues with Ananta Kumar Giri". I used this PowerPoint for the lecture which I held on 27th July 2024 at the webinar "Integral Development, Social Healing and a New Upanishad of Life: New Horizons of Social Theorizing, Social Transformations and Planetary Realizations and Dialogues with Ananta Kumar Giri”. In my contribution, I would like to present through some aspects of Amartya Sen’s works that a model for a new public policy consists in the uncovering of particular forms of deception strategies present in the political and social scene. These deception strategies aim to persuade individuals that there is no alternative to certain ways of thinking, to certain ways of organizing societies, to certain ways of interpreting concepts: thus, these deception strategies aim to persuade individuals that a kind of single, dominant, irrefutable thought rules and that it is right that it be so. I shall develop my contribution through the analysis of some aspects of Amartya Sen’s philosophy. My principal aim will consist in finding, with the help of Sen’s observations, instruments in order to show that a new model for public policy first of all means – at least in my opinion – the process of uncovering that concepts and events are not so simple and not so univocal as they very often are presented to be. For instance, a concept like “development” can find interpretations that are very different from each other, depending on whether development is exclusively identified with economic and income growth, or, alternatively, depending on whether development is to be interpreted as the whole growth of the capabilities and freedoms both of the individual and of the society (the second interpretation corresponds to Sen’s interpretation of the concept “development”). Sen’s thinking can be portrayed as a teaching against fatalism, indifference, resignation and inaction, on the one side, and as an appeal to the assumption of one’s own responsibilities, on the other side: Sen wants to uncover the deep roots of political and social fatalism, since this kind fatalism is, actually, not neutral, but, on the contrary, aims to conceal precise responsibilities. Sen fights both in economics and in ethics against every kind of deception: he often denounces that, within the economic, social and political thought, deception strategies aim to conceal, behind the mask of the unavoidability allegedly dictated by the nature of things, failures actually due to human mistakes; unavoidable economic destiny is, actually, not so unavoidable as someone would like to present it. Therefore, Sen’s project regarding development and freedom proves to be, among other things, a project of uncovering deception strategies: for instance, Sen’s opinion that famines are not a natural, but a social phenomenon aims to uncover all attempts to present famines as something unavoidable, in relation to which the only solution is resignation. Sen points out that all those presenting famines as natural phenomenon, actually want to conceal their own responsibilities for the occurring of famines. Hunger and famines are not, in other words, natural phenomena against which there is nothing to do; they are social phenomena having precise responsible agents; neither do famines represent an integral, constitutive, unavoidable element of the modern world: they can be prevented if there is the political will to prevent them. Sen continuously aims at promoting the control of government and of public authority: governments try to blame on nature the cause of catastrophes, whereas the causes of social catastrophes are to be connected to the inefficiency of governments. Sen’s meditation proves to be a continuous defence and promotion of democracy, rights and freedom against all attempts to diminish their value: in particular, Sen sees democracy as a system which is compatible with economic growth, thus opposing all those who considers democracy as an obstacle to economic growth. My attention will, thereafter, be concentrated on Sen’s interpretation of the concept of development, which in Sen’s opinion cannot be limited to the income of the individuals or to the growth of GNP, but should be extended to individuals’ freedoms, human rights, health care, opportunities of education and further entitlements. Development is, in Sen’s opinion, the progressive growth of the individual capabilities, whereas all interpretations of development basing only on the measurement of the gross domestic product and of the individual income are insufficient. I shall finally refer to Sen’s pointing out the dangers related to the absolute view of the cultural identity, if this view is connected to economic and political strategies: certain interpretations of cultural identities do bring about catastrophes, as it can be shown by means of the attitudes of British politicians towards Irishmen as possessing an inferior culture during the Irish famines, or by the attitudes of British politicians towards Indians during the Great Bengal famine). Sen’s works I shall concentrate my attention on will be, for instance, “Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation”, “On Ethics & Economics”, “Capability and Well-Being”, “Development as Freedom”, “How Does Culture Matter?”, “Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny”, and “The Idea of Justice”; moreover, I shall take into consideration the book “Hunger and Public Action”, which Sen wrote together with Jean Drèze.

I propose a discussion on my text "Aspects of Gandhi's Interpretation of Bhagavad Gita". The text has been published in Analele Universitatii din Craiova, Seria Filosofie, nr. 53 (1/2024), pp. 5–40. https://cis01.ucv.ro/analele_universitatii/filosofie/2024/Anale53_1.pdf The intent of our investigation is to expose and interpret aspects of Gandhi’s meditation on the Bhagavad Gita. One of the aims of Gandhi’s meditation on the Gita consists in searching for the foundations of the right moral thought and for the foundations of the right individual education. The revelation of the Gita is for the individual, among other things, a journey towards the discovery of himself and of his position in the reality; it is a journey towards the discovery of the possible developments of his own soul. The foundation of the right individual education has immediate social aspects: the right education proves to represent the very foundation of the right political action. In Gandhi’s view, the political doctrine and the political action ought to have as their own foundation the teachings of the Gita. The revelation of the Gita gives the individual the right moral education and the right moral foundation: it gives the knowledge of truth, of God, of reality, and of the individual nature. Through and thanks to the teachings of the Gita, the individual’s education finds the due foundation. The correct moral education is the basis of a right political and social order; it represents the basis for the dialogue between individuals and for the peaceful coexistence between individuals. The morally right order of the society is the consequence of the morally right order of the individual. Thus, the meditation on the Gita constitutes the foundation of the possibility of a right political strategy. Thanks to the education obtained through the meditation on the Gita, the individual is able to understand the right moral behaviour: this has an immediate effect on the structure and organisation of the whole society. In order that the society can be morally changed, the individual ought to develop his moral constitution in a right way. There may not be any right political programme without a previous individual right moral education. The analysis of the position of individuals within the reality and the investigation on the individual soul constitution enables the individual to reach an appropriate strategy for a right moral education. Since individuals consist of the three gunas — sattva, rajas, and tamas —, individuals are, as such, complex entities. Individuals are, moreover, dynamic entities: the development of the three gunas inside the individual soul, the relationships between the gunas in the soul, and the prevalence of a guna over the other gunas within the souls are not given once and for all; they depend on the education and on the life choices of the individuals. The prevalence of a guna over the other ones is due to the free decision of the individual; depending on how the individual decides to orientate his own life and depending on which parts of the soul the individual decides to cultivate, the soul of the individual will take a corresponding direction and will have a corresponding development. The responsibility for the development of one’s one life belongs to the individual. The corporeal dimension puts precise limits on the individual capacity of self-improvement within the corporeal life. Individuals ought to accept the limits due to their bodily dimension. At the same time, individuals ought to steadily try to improve themselves by promoting the virtues connected to sattva; the being-limited of individuals does not imply an absence of responsibility of the individuals as regards the moral value of their own actions. Individuals have the responsibility for being aware of their own constitution and for fighting against the limitations of their own condition. The fact that individuals are constitutively imperfect entails that individuals ought to educate themselves continuously; the individual ought to reach a moral foundation and ought to steadily pay attention to the stability of his own character. The main works analysed throughout our inquiry are Gandhi’s Discourses on the “Gita”, contained in The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, XXXII (November 1926 – January 1927), pp. 94–376, and the work of Mahadev Desai, The Gospel of selfless action or The Gita according to Gandhi. Keywords: Gandhi, Bhagavad Gita, Atman, Moksha, Gita, Sattva, Tamas, Rajas, Desai, Mahabarata, Satyagraha.

I propose a discussion on the PDF-PowerPoint "Postcolonialism in the context of historical and legal research". I used this PowerPoint for the contribution which I exposed on 12th April 2024 at the VIII International Scientific and Methodological Seminar “History of Legal Science: Transformation of Ideas and Images” - Project workshop of the Department of History of State and Law “Historical and Legal Research in the Context of National Interests of Russia” - Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL). I am working on a text connected to the ideas exposed in the PowerPoint.

I propose as a subject of discussion my PDF-PowerPoint "Aspects of psychic illness in Plato". I used this PDF-PowerPoint on 20th June 2024 for the lecture held at the 32nd International Conference “The Universe of Platonic Thought”, 20–21 June 2024, St Petersburg, Russia. In my study, I examine aspects of Plato’s description of the healthy and unhealthy conditions of the soul. My inquiry is mainly directed to Plato’s illustration of the progressive degeneration of the soul up to the explosion of mental illness and criminal actions. Throughout my investigation, I point out that the origin and the cause of the unhealthy and healthy conditions of the soul lie in the components of the soul. Due to its components, the soul can both reach a morally healthy condition, on the one hand, and degenerate, on the other hand. The components of the soul are given, but the development of the parts of the soul is not given: the part of the soul which prevails organises the whole soul. Individual actions are a consequence of the disposition of the individual’s soul. The possibility of being evil and of falling into a state of criminal madness is directly rooted in one of the components of the soul. The structure of the society depends on the tendency of development of the souls of the individuals living in the society and, vice versa, the development of the individual soul depends on the organisation of the society: the development of the society and the development of the individual soul steadily influence each other. The text of Plato on which I concentrate my attention is the Republic. Keywords: Illness, health, soul, Republic, society, individual, constitution, degeneration

I propose a discussion on PDF-PowerPoint "Gandhi und die Bhagavad Gita".

I used the PowerPoint for the lecture held at the Volkshochschule Landstraße, Vienna, on Wednesday, 5th June 2024, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

A text corresponding to the ideas exposed in the PowerPoint will be published soon. The text is written in English.

Knowledge of God, empowerment of the mind and transformation of the subject in Spinoza, in: «Analele Universitatii din Craiova, Seria Filosofie», nr. 51 (1/2023)», pp. 30-70. https://cis01.central.ucv.ro/analele_universitatii/filosofie/2023/Contents51_1.pdf https://cis01.central.ucv.ro/analele_universitatii/filosofie/ A central theme of Spinoza’s Ethica is the description of the individual’s exposition to the emergence of passions. Passions bring the individual to a condition of mental enslavement. Spinoza tries to find a way out of the passions: through the analysis of the structure of reality and through the inquiry into the structure of the individual’s mind, Spinoza shows that the development of knowledge of reality in the mind is the solution to the process of liberation of the mind. The possibility, for the individual, to reach an authentic power of mind consists in the acquisition of the knowledge of reality. This acquisition needs to be developed through the appropriate education. The knowledge of the whole reality increases the power of the individual’s mind, thus contemporarily diminishing the influence of passions on the individual’s mind. Through the knowledge the individual can emendate his mind: thereby the individual becomes able to eliminate in his mind the already present confused ideas on reality, on the one hand, and to oppose the formation of new confused ideas, on the other hand. The main text of our investigation will be Spinoza’s Ethica; we shall refer also to the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus and to the Tractatus Politicus.

I propose a discussion on my PDF-PowerPoint "Aspects of Gandhi's foundations of peace within the individual and the collective dimension". I used this PowerPoint for the lecture held at the COLÓQUIO "Perdão, Guerra e Paz", 21de Maio de 2024, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Coimbra. A text related to the PowerPoint will be published soon. The intent of my investigation is to expose and interpret aspects of Gandhi’s meditation on Gita. One aim of Gandhi’s meditation on Gita consists in the search for the foundations of the right moral thought and of the right individual education. The Revelation of Gita is for the individual, among other things, a journey towards the discovery of himself and of his position in the reality; it is a journey towards the discovery of the possible developments of his own soul. The foundation of the right individual education has immediately social aspects: the right education proves to represent the very foundation of the right political action. In Gandhi’s view, the political doctrine and the political action ought to have, as their own fundament, the teachings of Gita. The Revelation of Gita gives to the individual the right moral education and the right moral foundation: it gives the knowledge of Truth, of God, of reality and of the individual essence. Through and thanks to the teachings of Gita, the individual education finds the due foundation: the individual education is then the basis of a right political and social order; it represents the basis for the dialogue between individuals and for the pacific coexistence between individuals. The morally right order of the society is the consequence of the morally right order of the individual. Thus, the meditation on Gita constitutes as such the foundation of the possibility of a right political strategy. Thanks to the education obtained through the meditation on Gita, the individual becomes able to understand the right moral behaviour and the way to reach the right moral behaviour: this has an immediate effect on the structure and organisation of the whole society. In order that the society can be morally changed, the individual ought to develop his moral constitution in a right way. There may not be any right political programme without a previous individual right moral education. The reform of the society presupposes the right moral individual education. The analysis of the position of individuals within the reality and the investigation on the individual soul constitution enables to reach an appropriate strategy for a right moral education. Since individuals consist of the three gunas sattva, rajas, and tamas, individuals are, as such, complex entities. Individuals are, moreover, dynamic entities: the development of the three gunas inside the individual soul, the relationships between the gunas in the soul and the prevalence of one guna over the other gunas within the souls are not given once and for all: they depend on the education and on the life choices of the individuals. The individual development is a question of the responsibility of the individual. The prevalence of a guna over the other ones is due to the free decision of the individual: depending on how the individual decides to orientate his own life, and depending on which dispositions of the soul the individual decides to cultivate, the soul of the individual will take a corresponding direction and will have a corresponding development. The responsibility of the development of one’s own life belongs to the individual. The development of the individual is open, at least within specific limits related to the individual nature. The corporeal dimension puts precise limits to the individual capacity of self-improvement within the corporeal life. Ahimsa cannot be fully followed within the corporeal condition; Moksha cannot be completely reached due to the influence of the senses. Individuals ought to accept the limits due to their bodily dimension; at the same time, individuals ought to steadily try to improve themselves by promoting the virtues connected to sattva: the being-limited of individuals does not imply an absence of responsibility of the individuals as regards their own actions. Individuals have the responsibility of being aware of their own constitution and of fighting against the limitations of their own condition. Individual being constitutively imperfect entails that individuals ought to educate themselves continuously: the individual ought to reach a moral foundation; he ought to steadily pay attention to the stability of his own character. The main works analysed throughout my analysis will be Gandhi’s Discourses on the “Gita”, contained in The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, XXXII (November 1926 – January 1927), pp. 94-376, and the work of Mahadev Desai, The Gospel of selfless action or The Gita according to Gandhi.

The Stoics on Impulses, Passions, and Disappearance of Reason - PDF-PowerPoint which I used on 9th May 2024 for the online lecture held at the 8th INTERNATIONAL TRANSDISCIPLINARY SYMPOSIUM BIOETHICS AND APORIA OF PSYCHE, Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, 9–10 Mai 2024. I am working on a text corresponding to the PowerPoint. In my inquiry, I shall analyse the Stoic notion of impulse and of passion: the main interest of the study will be dedicated to the Stoic description of the progressive disappearance of reason due to the corresponding progressive domination of negative passions. My investigation will deal with the process of the emergence of the impulses, with the role of the assent to the impulses and with the formation of the passions. The connection of the false assent to the formation of the passions, the influence of the opinion on the false assent, and the consequent dominance of the passions within the soul will be analysed. The centre of the exposition will be represented by the loss of any power formerly possessed by reason: the dominance of the passions in the individual’s soul brings about the complete collapse of reason. I shall then inquire into the difference between negative passions and positive passions. The cognitivist positions of the Stoics and the instruments of liberation from the passions will belong to my study.

I propose a discussion on my PDF-PowerPoint "Being and Religion: Aristotelian and (Neo)Platonic Corollaries". I used the PowerPoint for the lecture which I held on Wednesday, 24th April at the Advanced Studies Seminar of the IEF - Instituto de Estudos Filosóficos, Universidade de Coimbra. I am working on texts corresponding to the subjects dealt with in the PowerPoint.

I propose a discussion on my text "India and Ancient Greece: Similar Allegories, Analogies, and Differences". The text has been published in the volume "Discourses in Greek Studies", edited by Professor Anil Kumar Singh (Indo-Hellenic Research Centre, New Delhi). In our inquiry, we aim to investigate the analogies, correspondences, and similarities between Indian Cultural Heritage and Ancient Greek philosophy. Our study deals with the Kaṭha Upaniṣad and Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad as regards Indian Cultural Heritage and with Plato’s Phaedrus as regards Ancient Greek philosophy. We will concentrate our attention on the image of the individual soul as a charioteer leading a chariot with two horses exposed in Plato’s Phaedrus. This image has strong analogies with the image of the individual contained in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad I, 3. Within this part of our analysis, we investigate the figure of the charioteer and the two horses of the chariot. We point out the difference between the souls of the human beings, on the one hand, and the souls of the gods, on the other hand. The allegory of the soul as the chariot in Plato’s Phaedrus proves to be a description of the human condition; the dimension of the earthen existence turns out to be the consequence of the imperfection of the human soul. This imperfection is connected to the absence of an adequate level of knowledge. Knowledge is, within Plato’s image of the chariot, a factor which hinders the fall of the human being in the earthen dimension. Knowledge is necessary to avoid the decadence of the human soul. Furthermore, knowledge is necessary for the soul in order that the soul can return to its original dimension. The earthen dimension is not the original dimension of the human soul; it is not a dimension in which the human soul ought to remain. The earthen dimension is a dimension which should be abandoned. The nostalgia for the authentic dimension of reality is one of the characteristics of the soul enslaved in the earthen dimension. The image of the chariot of Phaedrus has analogies with the Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.3–1.3.9. Through the analysis of the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, we can observe that understanding is necessary for the human being to reach a dimension of reality which is different from the average life dimension; understanding is necessary for the individual to be free from the chain of rebirths. Constitutively, there can be a contrast between elements composing the human being, i.e. between the intellect and the senses. If the senses are not subdued to a discipline, they hinder the journey of the human being to the authentic dimension of reality. Only the development of understanding can enable the human being to train the senses in an adequate way. In this context, too, the idea is present that the human being should reach a different dimension if the human being wishes to be free from the chain of rebirths; the initial condition of the human being is a condition which should be abandoned. The average dimension in which the human being lives is not the authentic dimension of the human being. The image of the chariot introduces us, therefore, to a frame of correspondences between Plato’s Phaedrus and the Kaṭha Upaniṣad which can be listed as follows: - The average life of the human being is not the authentic dimension of the individual. - The human being is, as such, a composed entity. - Any human being has a plurality of factors in himself. - The human being is enslaved in a chain of rebirths. - The enslavement in the average life dimension is not definitive; an alternative dimension can be reached by the human being. - Only through a process of education can the human being reach the correct disposition of the intellect. - Knowledge and understanding are necessary for the human being to be able to lead his life.

I propose as a subject for a discussion the PDF-Powerpoint "Self-awareness and Knowledge" which I used for the lecture at the National Seminar "Debate, Dialogue and Narratives in Indian Philosophical Traditions", organised by Magadh University, Bodh Gaya, sponsored by ICPR, New Delhi, 2-4 April 2024. My contribution took place on 3rd April 2024.

In my inquiry on the Bhagavad Gita, I shall analyse some aspects of the transformation of the individual through and thanks to his process of knowing the structure of reality. Becoming aware of his nature and of his position in the reality is for the individual the first step towards his moral development: for the individual needs and ought to walk the road of becoming aware of his nature in order to be able to know the aspects of his person which he ought to improve and to know the aspects of his persons which he ought to correct. The intervention in the reality of Lord Krishna shows that individuals are not always morally self-sufficient; men are limited entities; in them, evil can prevail. The road of knowledge, of meditation and of education is a process of fighting against the evil tendencies of the individual.

I shall begin my inquiry with the description of the three Gunas in chapter XIV: the notions of Sattva, of Tamas and of Rajas, their properties and their influences on the individual will be the first passage of my exposition. Through the investigation on the three Gunas we shall be able to observe that any individual turns out to be a composed entity which, depending on his education, engagement and meditation, can tend to the prevalence of Tamas, or of Rajas or of Sattva: the direction of the individual’s development is, as such, not given; it depends on the characters which the individual decides to cultivate in himself. The responsibility of the development, therefore, is due to the individual. As we shall be able to see thanks to the Discourses, the road to intellectual and moral development is not easy: it is, on the contrary, long, complex and difficult.

The individual cannot avoid being a composed entity which, since the factors of which it consists are not in a condition of reciprocal harmony, is exposed to a conflict in itself: therefore, the individual must reckon with mutually incompatible influences in himself; nonetheless, the individual is responsible for the prevalence of one or the other of the factors. Knowledge is indispensable in order that Sattva, the positive factor in the individual, can be improved in the individual: beholding the Supreme proves to be the way of liberation from the yearning of the objects of the senses. Lust will emerge as the enemy of the correct knowledge: knowledge is the remedy against the influence of lust.

For my analysis, I shall concentrate in particular on Discourses II, III, IV, V, VI, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII.

Srinivasa Chari, S.M., The Philosophy of Bhagavadgītā. A Study based on the Evaluation of the Commentaries of Śaṁkara, Rāmānuja and Madhva, with a foreword of MM.V. Srivatsankacharya. New Delhi, 2005, reprinted 2014.

Desai, M., The Gospel of selfless action or The Gita according to Gandhi (Translation of the original in Gujarati, with an additional introduction and commentary). By Mahadev Desai. Ahmedabad, 1946.

The Bhagavad Gita. With Text, Translation, and Commentary in the Words of Sri Aurobindo. Edited by Parmeshwari Prasad Khetan, Jhunjhunu; Rajasthan, 333001, 1992.

The Bhagavad Gītā (Sanskrit Text, Transliteration, English Translation & Philological Notes). Introduction by W. Douglas P. Hill. Translated by John Davies. Delhi, 2006.

The Bhagavad Gita in English. The Sacred Song. Translated by Philippe L. De Coster, B.Th., D.D. Translated into English from the original Sanskrit into English along ancient manuscripts, and various other sources and research material. Split up reading – Transliteration Word for Word translation. Gita Satsang Ghent Centre (Belgium). Copyright (Belgium) 2006 – 2007. Revised and Enlarged, November 2010.

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The Bhagavad-Gita, or Song Celestial translated by Sir Edwin Arnold. The Harvard Classics, New York, 1909–1914. Downloaded from: https://www.bartleby.com/45/4

The Mahabarata. A Prose English Translation of the Mahabarata (Translated literally from the Original Sanskrit Text.) Adi Parva. Edited and Published by Manmatha Nath Dutt, M.A., M.R.A.S. Calcutta, 1895.

The Mahabarata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa. Translated into English Prose from the Original Sanskrit Text by Kisari Mohan Ganguli [1883–1896]. Scanned at sacred-texts.com, 2003. Downloaded from: https://holybooks.com/the-mahabharata-of-vyasa-english-prose-translation/

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I propose a discussion on the PDF-PowerPoint "Liberation of mind in Spinoza". I used the PowerPoint for the lecture held at the WORLD PHILOSOPHY DAY ICPR SPONSORED ONE DAY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON Mental Health and Human Well Being: Psycho-Social and Philosophical Perspective - Hindu College, Amritsar, 15th March 2024. I am working on a text corresponding to the subjects dealt with in the PowerPoint.

I propose as a subject for a discussion the PDF-Powerpoint of the lecture "Analogies between Plotinus and Indian Philosophy" held on 1st March 2024 at the International Conference on Topic: Cultures in Transformation: A Subcontinental Experience International Conference organized by the Department of History in Collaboration with Northern Region Centre Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), 1-2 March 2024, Ram Lal Anand College, University of Delhi. I am working on a text connected to the PowerPoint. In my inquiry, I would like to expose some aspects of Plotinus’ thought which have, in my opinion, analogies with aspects of Indian Philosophy. I shall therefore concentrate my attention on Plotinus’ conception of the One, on the relations between One and multiplicity, on the separation of the individual from the One and on the return to the One. I shall then investigate the opposition expressed in the Upanishads between inauthentic reality and authentic reality, the initial position of the individual in the darkness and the return of the individual to the true dimension of reality. The individual’s ascent to the One in Plotinus and the liberation of the individual from the dimension of multiplicity will be a central theme of my exposition since it constitutes one of the analogies with some passages of the Upanishads in which the process of liberation of the individual from the ties of the average sense reality are described: the initial position of the individual as a position of decadence of the individual will be exposed by resorting to different passages of Plotinus’ Enneads.

The opposition between knowledge and opinion, on the one hand, and between intellect and sense perception, on the other hand, will be investigated in order to see the similarities with passages from the Upanishads in which the opportunity of a progressive detachment from the sense dimension is insisted on.

The common ground between Plotinus and the Upanishads proves to be the conception of philosophy as the revelation that the average way of living is inauthentic, that there is an authentic dimension of reality, that the individual ought to reach the authentic dimension of reality, and that a long process of training is needed for the individual to be able to reach the authentic dimension of reality. Furthermore, the description of the position of the One as an entity which is beyond all predicates can be analysed, in my opinion, with particular attention to the analogies which this subject can have with the descriptions of the nature of Brahman.

The main texts on which I will base my inquiry will be Plotinus’ Enneads, on the one hand, and the Upanishads, on the other hand.

I propose as a subject of discussion the PDF-PowerPoint "Observations on Chitta Ranjan Das". I used the PowerPoint for the lecture which I held on Sunday, 21st January 2024 at the New Juggernaut Adivasi Question and Policy Roadmap: Envisioning India 2047 (Odishan Chapter-I) Under PM's Flagship Programme (20th-22nd Jan. 2024), organised by CARD, Odisha (Center for Adivasi Research and Development, Odisha) & Department of History Ravenshaw University, Cuttack.

I propose as a subject for a discussion the PDF-PowerPoint which I used for my lecture held at the Progetto Montecristo on Monday, 29th January 2024.

I should like very much to thank all the members of the organising committee of Progetto Montecristo for their invitation.

I wish to thank all the members of the audience for their interest, attention and consideration.

The title of my lecture was: "L'Io diviso. L'individuo come entità sospesa in Platone. Elementi dell’interpretazione dell’anima in Platone: composizione, unificazione, degenerazione, figure del male". I am working on a text corresponding to the lecture.