english articles

Festival del libro-Book festival

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Festival del libro-Book festival

Dear little philosophers,

are you ready for an unusual lesson? We won’t talk about an ancient or modern philosopher but about an event concerning the books: the Salento Book Festival.

There are a lot of moments you can enjoy and you have time until July 22nd.

You’ll know important personalities of culture, journalism and literature such as Francesco Giorgino, Don Antonio Mazzi, the actor Gioele Dix but also Max Laudadio of the tv program“Striscia la notizia” . There will also be the actress and writer Chiara Francini, author of “My Mother must not know” and “Don’t talk with the full mouth”.

Chiara Francini

Ecco Chiara Francini fonte: Di Luirzy – Opera propria, Pubblico dominio, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63975980

The towns of the festival  are Corigliano D’otranto, Galatina, Galatone, Gallipoli and Nardò. If I were you I would take advantage of this cultural initiative to visit all the incredible and marvellous Salento!

However, before leaving you, I’d like to ask you a question starting from the words of Umberto Eco, one of the most important and known writers, philologists and linguists of the Italian and international panorama. Ready?

“Who doesn’t read, at 70 years will have lived only one life: his own. Who reads will have lived 5000 years: he was there when Cain killed Abel, when Renzo married Lucia, when Leopardi admired the infinite… because reading is an immortality backwards”. (CIT. Umberto Eco)

Umberto Eco

Umberto Eco fonte: Di Università Reggio Calabria – Ufficio Stampa Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=694892

What do you think? How important is reading for you? Which genres do you prefer?

Link:

https://freewordsmagazine.wordpress.com/2018/07/09/salento-book-festival/ https://www.festivalditalia.it/salento-book-festival/

Maria Domenica Depalo

Panta rei, kids!

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Panta rei, kids!

Dear little philosophers,

last week we talked about turtles and Zeno of Elea. Do you remember what he said? Like his master Parmenides, he said that the movement doesn’t exist but someone else declared something different. This someone was Heraclitus of Ephesus, the philosopher of the panta rei (panta rei means everything flows).

Let’s read one of his statements:

“You cannot descend twice in the same river …”. What does this sentences mean?

What does a river usually do?  Look at its water: it flows continuously. Everything flows and changes time after time, minute after minute, always.

We change too:

“I look at a picture of when I was 16 and I look at one today. God, how I changed! Then I ask myself: but when did it happen? At night? While I was sleeping? “(from “Panta rei” by L. De Crescenzo, ed. Mondadori)

No one and nothing remain the same. To confirm it, just look at ourselves: every day we are different from what we were yesterday.

Guys, changes shouldn’t scare us. In fact we must consider them richness and embrace them with joy because it can be the right opportunity to improve more and reborn. Let’s not waste our personal panta rei!

Other links:

https://fuoritempofuoriluogo.wordpress.com/2017/11/20/panta-rei/

Maria Domenica Depalo

 

Achilles and the turtle

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Achilles and the turtle

Welcome back to our new philosophy lesson!

Do you like turtles? Have you ever seen one close to you? You surely know that there are some of them who live and swim in the waters of the sea or of a lake and that there are others who spend their life on the mainland.

turtle

Eccone una di terra! Osservate il suo sguardo attento e consapevole. fonte: https://pixabay.com/it/tartaruga-scenario-natura-3340266/

sea turtle

Guardate: qui c’è una bella tartaruga di mare che nuota circondata da due pesciolini. Chissà dove sta andando? fonte: https://pixabay.com/it/tartaruga-subacquea-acqua-nuoto-691040/

Surely now you’re wondering why I’m talking about this animal and its habitats. The reason is very simple: the movement or better its slow moving.

Now I ask you a question: in a race on the mainland, between you and a turtle, who would win? You? Are you sure?

I am sorry but the philosopher Zeno of Elea who lived around 450 a.C. will surprise you with his answer.

Zeno was a careful and acute thinker and a pupil of another important philosopher, Parmenides. He said that there is no movement and that each of our acts is only an illusion. In short, for Parmenides, although we are moving, we are actually static.

Now look at the picture:

Achille and turtle

fonte: Di Daniele Pugliesi – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27640179

The photo shows the “paradox of Achilles”, the most famous argument of our friend Zeno. Achilles, Greek hero and among the characters of the Iliad of Homer, one day  decided to compete in a racespeed with a turtle giving a few meters of advantage to the animal.

“Achilles runs […] ten meters and the tortoise runs a meter; Achilles runs that meter, the turtle runs a decimeter; Achilles runs that decimeter, the tortoise runs a centimeter; Achilles runs that centimeter, the tortoise runs a millimeter; Achilles runs that millimeter, the tortoise runs a tenth of a millimeter, and so on to infinity; so that Achilles can run forever without reaching it “. (from https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradosso_di_Achille_e_la_tartaruga)

As fast as he can run, the turtle will always keep its little advantageand so, even if Achilles runs faster than the turtle, he will never reach it. The space is divisible to infinity and Achilles, in his finitude, will never be able to cover the infinite of the finite space.

So my little philosphers, in a race not everything is as obvious as you might think. Expect always surprises!

At the next lesson and good philosophy!

Maria Domenica Depalo

A book for you: Il Signore è grande e non si può disegnare

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A book for you: Il Signore è grande e non si può disegnare

Dear little philosophers,

Are you ready for this new lesson? Yes? So let’s start with some small questions: do you like drawing? What do you represent most? Do you have any favourite subjects?
But how many questions, you say!!! 😉 Don’t worry, there’s a reason and it’s a book, as we’ll find out in a bit.

Do you remember? Last week we set out a series of questions about the origin of the everything and we discovered what Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes thought about this argument. (https://fuoritempofuoriluogo.wordpress.com/2018/06/12/lorigine-del-tutto/).

Speaking about the origin of everything, I remembered this masterpiece written by the journalist and author Gualtiero Pierce. With his television crew he has observed Jewish, Christians and Muslims children attending the confessional elementary schools of Rome. They have faced these great but delicate themes with their teachers and friends answering some questions. What do you say? Are you curious? But first of all the photo of the book:

copertina libroi

Ecco la copertina del libro foto di ©MariaDomenicaDepalo

But now try to answer some of the questions of the book and to write your answers in the comments. Ready?
1. How was God born? Where did God come from? Has he always existed?

2. Why do you think it is not possible to draw him?

3. Do you like words? Do you think they have a weight?

4. Who do you ask for forgiveness when you make mistakes?

5. What is the meaning of the word “Thank you “?

Are you curious enough? Then read the book but above all never stop asking questions.

The complete informations of this book: Il Signore è grande e non si può disegnare, Gualtiero Pierce, ed einuadi.

Maria Domenica Depalo

The origin of everything

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The origin of everything

Dear little philosophers,

how are you all? Are you enjoying your summer holiday? I really hope you don’t spend all the day with your smartphone but also with other activities, like reading books, going out with your friends, walking but above all playing.

However, even if you are on holiday we will try to keep your attention awake through our little philosophy lessons. So: let’s start!

Today we’ll try to answer these questions: “Where do we come from and what is the origin of everything”?

Thales, Anaximander and Anaximene tried to find an answer but who are they? They were philosophers of nature.

Originally from Miletus, a Turkey city, they lived about 600 years before the birth of Jesus and they were really curious, especially about the beginning of everything so each of them has thought of a primordial cause, the arché.

Thales thought that the base of all was water: in fact, without this liquid there is no life. If we observe our person, we must consider that more than 80% of our body is made of it.

Anaximander  instead believed that at the origin of life was the apeiron, something unlimited or endless. Furthermore, only what is endless can give life to what has an end and limits, like us.

Anaximene’s arché was the air. Like Thales, he believed that “… there had to be a primordial matter at the bottom of all the changes that occur in nature”.

Who was right, on your opinion? What do you think about this theme? Where does everything we know come from? And we?

Before saying goodbye waiting for the next lesson, I suggest you the title of the book from which I took the sentence in bold and an interesting video. Good reading and good vision!

The book is “The world of Sofia” written by Jostein Gaarder, ed. Longanesi. And here is the video

 

Maria Domenica Depalo

Travel experiences

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Travel experiences

Everyone of us has a place to visit and discover because every place, street or landscape is an expression of who we are and of our inner life.
In fact we could talk about a philosophy of travelling as a way to explore known and unknown spaces but especially ourselves.

It isn’t necessary to go too far or distant. You can move from your town to the nearest and make your travel: the one you need.

The contact with different people, cultures, languages, dresses and food could be read as an incredible instrument not only to  learn  more about what surrounds us but, at the same time, to evolve and  improve.

There are many ways to travel around the world but the first one is thanks to imagination.

Through it, we approach in a first, personal and unique way with people, colours, tastes and new places creating situations and moments we hope to realize.

What do you really see when you cross new roads or see new horizonts? What happens to your life?

Share with us your ideal travel or describe a place you visit often and know. If you want you can publish a photo.

I will publish the first.

Thank  you.

scorcio di Giovinazzo

Scorcio di Giovinazzo foto di ©MariaDomenicaDepalo

 

Maria Domenica Depalo

 

Festa della mamma (ita+engl version)

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Festa della mamma

In questo giorno così speciale, omaggiamo le nostre madri con le parole di Kahlil Gibran e con una galleria di foto che vogliono render onore a tutte quante loro. Parliamo di madri di figli propri e/o di figli partoriti da altre donne ma anche di madri non ancora tali ma desiderose di esserlo, senza dimenticare quelle donne che lo sono pur non avendo figli perché sono capaci di donare se stesse appieno esattamente come se lo fossero.

La parola più bella 
sulle labbra del genere umano è “Madre”, 
e la più bella invocazione è “Madre mia”. 
E’ la fonte dell’amore, della misericordia, 
della comprensione, del perdono. 
Ogni cosa in natura parla della madre.

Kahlil Gibran
fonte della citazione: http://www.aurorablu.it/frasi/Frasi_Mamma.htm

Maria Domenica Depalo

Mother’s Day

In this special day, we want to homage our mothers with the words of Kahlil Gibran and with a gallery of photos that want to honor all of them. We make honor to all the mothers of the world not only of those ones that have children but also to the mothers who want to realize that desire and those women who don’t have children but  are able to give themselves fully exactly as if they were mothers.

The most beautiful word
on the lips of mankind  is “Mother”,
and the most beautiful invocation is “My Mother”.
It is the source of love, of mercy,
of understanding, of forgiveness.
Everything in nature speaks of the mother.

Kahlil Gibran
source of the poem: http://www.aurorablu.it/frasi/Frasi_Mamma.htm

Maria Domenica Depalo

 

 

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World press freedom day 2018

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World press freedom day 2018

Today, May the 3rd, we celebrate the “World press freedom day”. Instituted in 1993, this day remembers the journalists and bloggers who risk their life every day in order to let know to each of us what happens in every corner of the world. Especially in that one where there is no place for freedom and democracy, where the crime dominates and the fear to express your own opinion is too strong.

“I ask the governments to strengthen the freedom of the press and to protect the journalists. Promote free press is fundamental to our right to the truth”, says Antonio Guterres, secretary of Onu. (transl. from https://tg24.sky.it/mondo/2018/05/02/giornata-mondiale-liberta-di-stampa.html)

The principal event has been organized by Onu and the Republic of Ghana where it has taken place. The themes addressed embrace politics, culture and the increasing importance of the media and their influence on the society.

This day is celebrated everywhere. In Rome, in the Liceo Tamiani,  journalists like Paolo Borrometi, president of Art. 21, has talked about their life constantly menaced by crime. Let’s remember Peppino Impastato killed in Sicily by the killers of Mafia because he wasn’t afraid to say the truth about crime in his region.

The Italian president Mattarella has sayed «On the occasion of the XI Memorial Day dedicated to journalists killed by mafias and terrorism organized by the National Union of Italian Reporters, I wish to express first of all my feelings of closeness and solidarity to family members, friends, life and workmates, who assisted to the end of the existence of their loved one. […] They have put their professionalism at the service of the growth of society. And thanks to these men and women, to their work, where before there was widespread silence, now there are often symbols of associations against the Mafia. Where there was silence dictated by fear, or by connivance, now there are the words, strong and courageous, of our boys. Where there was indifference or resignation, now legality is taught. A new season of violence against the press, in Italy, in Europe, in the world, seems to reappear: even today aggressions and intimidation threaten the work of those reporters who don’t bend to the logic of illegal interests and powers and crime, thus bringing a significant contribution to the cause of democracy. It is necessary to support their work because they defend our social life and our personal and family freedom through aggression, through free and correct information. It is necessary to protect their voices that refuse every abuse. Freedom of information, as our Constitution attests, is the foundation of democracy “.(translation of http://www.ilsecoloxix.it/p/cultura/2018/05/03/ACKSV2TD-liberta_mondiale_giornata.shtml)

Maria Domenica Depalo

 

 

Imagination, fantasy and comics

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Imagination, fantasy and comics

Dear philosophers,

our journey to understand the numerous manifestations of fantasy and imagination continues. But what is imagination precisely? According to Aristotle, imagination is a typical characteristic connected to the sensations: the senses in fact are important when we imagine. However, we aren’t limited by them: our mind can “create” starting from the reality that surrounds us and perceives through the senses but can also “create” ex novo, giving life to fantastic worlds, dimensions and creations.

gem lauris

fonte: Photo by Gem & Lauris RK on Unsplash

So our attention goes to the world of comics and in particular to the “Torino Comics” held at the Lingotto Fiere in Turin and just concluded. Superheroes, characters, cosplay and so on were in this festival of creativity, imagination and fantasy.

Three days of comics but not only: workshops dedicated to graphic design, moments of reflection on sensitive topics such as discrimination and diversity and their representation, Manga workshops, photographs, art studies and even “Fantasy portrait of fantastic races “with Andrea Bertone. Really for all tastes and passions!

The 24th edition of the festival saw the participation of more than 56,000 people: simple curious but also passionate, everyone was part of a reality certainly very different from the daily one. Just let’s think of the cosplayers who, on their own or in pairs, have taken part to the International Cosplay League.

But why do you think these events are so successful? I believe that the reason is the possibility to leave  your own reality, even only for a few moment. On your opinion, what is essentially the reason for taking refuge in the imagination and fantasy?

jr-korpa-529181-unsplash

Links:

www.torinocomics.com

http://torino.repubblica.it/cronaca/2018/04/14/foto/cosplayer_e_fumetti_al_lingotto_per_il_torino_comics-193881750/

http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/immaginazione_%28Dizionario-di-filosofia%29/

Maria Domenica Depalo