I did my BA in Rome, Università La Sapienza, where I graduated with a thesis about the contemporary debate on personal identity. I am now doing my Research Master’s in Philosophy of Mind at Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. I am specifically researching how digital environments (and especially social networking sites) influence our understanding of the world and of others. I like Wittgenstein and theories of extended cognition, which argue that items external to the brain can constitute cognitive processes. I am fascinated by the idea of the cyborg and how the digital revolution is changing our understanding of the world.
“If I have come to the conclusion that the fear of death is illogical, why do I still fear death?” (Herbert Fingarette) Thank you, Dave Boyo Klier, for a considered question. Uncharacteristic though it may be for a philosopher, I think I can provide a rather straightforward answer. Indeed, it does make sense that you […]
If fearing death is illogical, why do we still fear it? Read More
Thank you, Gnanak Gerhardson Munnangi, for such a deep question. With its increasing development in various fields, Artificial Intelligence resembles more and more its sci-fi representations from novels and movies of the last century. Some philosophers and scientists, such as Nick Bostrom, believe that once AI reaches the level of human intelligence, it will rapidly
Can the AI be considered a God? Read More
‘Considerations: (1) cats are carnivores; (2) pet food is derived from factory farmed animals; (3) factory farming has implications for the suffering of animals and the environment. As someone committed to reducing animal suffering but also loves a couple kittens he’s fostering, I’m pretty stuck on this.’ I can relate very much to this question.
Is it ethical to adopt a cat? Read More
Thank you, Arjun Sambhi, for such an important question! I will do my best to capture its complexity and implications. Imagine Juliet, a white American philosophy professor. As many academics, Juliet is liberal and fiercely against racism in any shape or form. She is informed of systemic racism in American society, and she is a
Thank you, Ela Özcan, for such a topical question! Online trolling is a tricky issue, and your question needs to be analysed carefully for a proper answer. We need to start by defining exactly what we mean by trolling. Many use the term just to describe aggressive behavior online: trolls, here, are people who tend
Why do people troll? Read More
Thank you, Ela Özcan, for such a tough question! I’ll do my best to break it down and give you the best answer I can. Online misinformation is a pretty hot topic: it intoxicates political debate, radicalizes people with different opinions against each other, and distracts them from what is actually going on in the world.
Thank you, Robin Pickering, for such a great question! Many philosophers have cracked their heads open trying to answer this one, so I’ll try to do my best here. A thought experiment will show all the complexities and interesting elements of this problem. Suppose that in the future you can go to work on Mars
If I got myself cloned, would my identity still be my own? Read More
