Perception and Reality
Workshop Program
- Plato “Truth Beyond Perception: The Realm of Forms”
- Patanjali “Perception as Veil: The Yogic Perspective”
- Zhuangzi “The Dream-Reality Paradox in Daoist Thought”
- Avicenna (Ibn Sina) “Mental Construction of Reality in Islamic Philosophy”
- Thomas Aquinas “Perception as Pathway to Transcendence”
- Roger Bacon “Mathematics as the Key to Nature’s Structure”
- Leopold Kronecker “God Made the Integers: Finitism and Mathematical Existence”
- David Hilbert “Formal Systems as the Basis of Mathematical Reality”
- Kurt Gödel “Truth Beyond Proof: Implications for Mathematical Reality”
- Werner Heisenberg “The Observer’s Role in Shaping Quantum Reality”
- David Bohm “Undivided Wholeness: An Alternative View of Quantum Reality”
- Roger Penrose “Mathematical Bridges Between Mind and Universe”
- Alan Turing “Can Machines Perceive? The Computational Perspective”
- Noam Chomsky “Mathematical Structures in Language and Thought”
- Yoshua Bengio “Learning as Mathematical Law: Implications for Machine Perception”
- Jaron Lanier “Human Dignity in Digital Environments”
- Karen Barad “Measurement as Reality-Constituting Practice”
- N. Katherine Hayles “Posthuman Reconfigurations of Reality”
- Francisco Varela “Mind as Emergent Phenomenon: The Enactive Approach”
- Christof Koch “Consciousness as Fundamental Property of Reality”
- Gerald Edelman “Dynamic Core: A Biological Theory of Consciousness”
- Max Tegmark “Mathematical Universe Hypothesis”
- Carlo Rovelli “Relational Quantum Mechanics: Reality as Interaction”
- Maryna Viazovska “Optimal Geometry: Mathematical Structures in Physical Reality”
Percezione e Realtà
Un dialogo interdisciplinare tra filosofia, scienza e matematica
Un’esplorazione intellettuale della realtà
Questo workshop internazionale riunisce filosofi, matematici, fisici e neuroscienziati per esplorare la complessa relazione tra percezione e realtà. Attraverso un dialogo interdisciplinare, esamineremo come il pensiero umano, dalla filosofia antica agli sviluppi contemporanei della fisica quantistica e dell’intelligenza artificiale, abbia affrontato la questione fondamentale del rapporto tra la nostra comprensione soggettiva del mondo e la sua struttura oggettiva.
Le sessioni saranno strutturate cronologicamente, fornendo una prospettiva storica ed evolutiva sulla questione, culminando nelle frontiere attuali della ricerca e nelle implicazioni future per la scienza e la filosofia.
Giorno 1 – Fondamenti Filosofici e Storici
15 Aprile 2025
Moderatore: Prof. Emile Durand
Storia della Filosofia, Università della Sorbona-
Platone
La verità è al di là della percezione.
-
Patanjali
La percezione è velo, non verità.
-
Zhuangzi
Chi distingue il sogno dalla realtà?
Moderatore: Dott.ssa Maria Rossi
Epistemologia, Università di Padova-
Avicenna
La mente costruisce la realtà.
-
Tommaso d’Aquino
La percezione è via alla trascendenza.
-
Roger Bacon
La matematica svela la struttura del mondo.
Giorno 2 – Scienza e Matematica Moderna
16 Aprile 2025
Moderatore: Prof. Jean-Luc Moreau
Filosofia Matematica, École Normale Supérieure-
Leopold Kronecker
Dio ha creato gli interi; il resto è opera dell’uomo.
-
David Hilbert
La matematica è sistema formale, non mistero.
-
Kurt Gödel
La verità trascende la dimostrazione.
Moderatore: Prof. Elena Moretti
Fisica Fondamentale, CERN-
Werner Heisenberg
L’osservatore modifica la realtà.
-
David Bohm
La realtà è una totalità indivisa.
-
Roger Penrose
La matematica è ponte tra mente e universo.
Moderatore: Dott. Alessandro De Luca
AI e Filosofia, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia-
Alan Turing
Può una macchina pensare?
-
Noam Chomsky
La matematica struttura il linguaggio.
-
Yoshua Bengio
L’apprendimento è legge matematica.
Giorno 3 – Realtà Digitale e Contemporaneità
17 Aprile 2025
Moderatore: Prof. Luca Bianchi
Filosofia della Tecnologia, Politecnico di Milano-
Jaron Lanier
La tecnologia deve rispettare la dignità umana.
-
Karen Barad
International Workshop: Perception and Reality | AIFS 2025 Perception and Reality
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Consciousness and Mathematical FoundationsInternational Academy of Philosophy of ScienceApril 15–17, 2025 | Villa Monastero, Varenna, ItalyWorkshop Program
Day 1 – Historical and Philosophical FoundationsSession 1: Ancient Conceptions of Reality9:00–10:30Chair: Prof. Emile Durand (Sorbonne University, History of Philosophy)- Plato “Truth Beyond Perception: The Realm of Forms”
- Patanjali “Perception as Veil: The Yogic Perspective”
- Zhuangzi “The Dream-Reality Paradox in Daoist Thought”
Session 2: Medieval and Renaissance Thought11:00–12:30Chair: Dr. Maria Rossi (University of Milan, Epistemology)- Avicenna (Ibn Sina) “Mental Construction of Reality in Islamic Philosophy”
- Thomas Aquinas “Perception as Pathway to Transcendence”
- Roger Bacon “Mathematics as the Key to Nature’s Structure”
Day 2 – Modern Science and Mathematical RealitySession 3: Mathematical Foundations (19th-20th Century)9:00–10:30Chair: Prof. Jean-Luc Moreau (École Normale Supérieure, Philosophy of Mathematics)- Leopold Kronecker “God Made the Integers: Finitism and Mathematical Existence”
- David Hilbert “Formal Systems as the Basis of Mathematical Reality”
- Kurt Gödel “Truth Beyond Proof: Implications for Mathematical Reality”
Session 4: Quantum Physics and Consciousness11:00–12:30Chair: Prof. Elena Moretti (ETH Zurich, Fundamental Physics)- Werner Heisenberg “The Observer’s Role in Shaping Quantum Reality”
- David Bohm “Undivided Wholeness: An Alternative View of Quantum Reality”
- Roger Penrose “Mathematical Bridges Between Mind and Universe”
Session 5: Artificial Intelligence and Perception14:30–16:00Chair: Dr. Alessandro De Luca (MIT, AI and Philosophy)- Alan Turing “Can Machines Perceive? The Computational Perspective”
- Noam Chomsky “Mathematical Structures in Language and Thought”
- Yoshua Bengio “Learning as Mathematical Law: Implications for Machine Perception”
Day 3 – Digital Reality and Contemporary PerspectivesSession 6: Virtual Reality and Ontology9:00–10:30Chair: Prof. Luca Bianchi (University of Bologna, Philosophy of Technology)- Jaron Lanier “Human Dignity in Digital Environments”
- Karen Barad “Measurement as Reality-Constituting Practice”
- N. Katherine Hayles “Posthuman Reconfigurations of Reality”
Session 7: Neuroscience and Consciousness11:00–12:30Chair: Dr. Sofia Conti (Max Planck Institute, Cognitive Neuroscience)- Francisco Varela “Mind as Emergent Phenomenon: The Enactive Approach”
- Christof Koch “Consciousness as Fundamental Property of Reality”
- Gerald Edelman “Dynamic Core: A Biological Theory of Consciousness”
Session 8: Closing Panel – The Future of Reality14:30–16:00Chair: Prof. Nima Arkani-Hamed (Institute for Advanced Study, Mathematical Physics)- Max Tegmark “Mathematical Universe Hypothesis”
- Carlo Rovelli “Relational Quantum Mechanics: Reality as Interaction”
- Maryna Viazovska “Optimal Geometry: Mathematical Structures in Physical Reality”
International Symposium: Perception and Reality | IAPS 2025 IAPS • 2025Perception and Reality
An International Symposium on Epistemological Foundations, Consciousness, and Mathematical StructuresInternational Academy of Philosophy of Science15–17 April 2025 | Villa Monastero, Varenna, Lake Como, ItalySymposium Programme
Day 1 – Historical and Philosophical FoundationsSession 1: Ancient Conceptions of Reality and Perception09:00–10:30Chair: Professor Emile Durand, DSc (Sorbonne University, Department of History of Philosophy)- Plato (Presented by Dr. Gabriella Montinari) “Truth Beyond Phenomenal Experience: The Metaphysical Status of Forms in Platonic Epistemology”
- Patañjali (Presented by Professor Rajiv Malhotra) “Perception as Epistemological Veil: Yogic Methodologies of Consciousness”
- Zhuangzi (Presented by Dr. Li Weiming) “The Dream-Reality Dialectic: Phenomenological Paradoxes in Classical Daoist Epistemology”
Session 2: Medieval and Renaissance Epistemological Frameworks11:00–12:30Chair: Professor Maria Rossi, PhD (University of Milan, Department of Theoretical Philosophy)- Avicenna (Ibn Sina) (Presented by Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr) “Mental Construction and Objective Reality: Epistemological Foundations in Islamic Philosophical Tradition”
- Thomas Aquinas (Presented by Professor John F. Wippel) “Sensory Perception as Pathway to Transcendent Reality: The Thomistic Synthesis”
- Roger Bacon (Presented by Dr. Amanda Powers) “Mathematical Structures as Ontological Foundation: Proto-Scientific Epistemology in the 13th Century”
Day 2 – Modern Scientific Epistemology and Mathematical StructuresSession 3: Mathematical Foundations of Knowledge (19th-20th Century)09:00–10:30Chair: Professor Jean-Luc Moreau, Docteur ès Sciences (École Normale Supérieure, Institute for Philosophy of Mathematics)- Leopold Kronecker (Presented by Professor Jeremy Gray) “Die ganzen Zahlen hat der liebe Gott gemacht: Finitism and the Ontological Status of Mathematical Objects”
- David Hilbert (Presented by Professor W. Hugh Woodin) “Formal Axiomatic Systems as the Foundation of Mathematical Reality: Epistemological Implications”
- Kurt Gödel (Presented by Professor John W. Dawson, Jr.) “Truth Beyond Formal Provability: Implications for Mathematical Platonism and Epistemology”
Session 4: Quantum Theoretical Frameworks and Consciousness11:00–12:30Chair: Professor Elena Moretti, PhD (ETH Zurich, Institute for Theoretical Physics)- Werner Heisenberg (Presented by Professor Anton Zeilinger) “The Observer’s Role in Quantum Measurement: Epistemological Implications for Objective Reality”
- David Bohm (Presented by Professor Basil J. Hiley) “Undivided Wholeness and Implicate Order: Non-Cartesian Ontology in Quantum Theory”
- Sir Roger Penrose (Presented by Professor Stuart Hameroff) “Mathematical Structures as Bridges Between Consciousness and Physical Reality: The Orch-OR Hypothesis”
Session 5: Computational Intelligence and Perceptual Epistemology14:30–16:00Chair: Professor Alessandro De Luca, PhD (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, AI Ethics and Philosophy)- Alan Turing (Presented by Professor Andrew Hodges) “Machine Perception and Cognition: Computational Frameworks for Epistemology”
- Noam Chomsky (Presented by Professor Barbara Partee) “Mathematical Structures in Linguistic Cognition: Universal Grammar as Epistemological Framework”
- Professor Yoshua Bengio, PhD “Learning as Mathematical Law: Bayesian Foundations of Machine Perception and Epistemic Structures”
Day 3 – Contemporary Perspectives on Digital Reality and ConsciousnessSession 6: Virtual Reality and Ontological Frameworks09:00–10:30Chair: Professor Luca Bianchi, PhD (University of Bologna, Department of Philosophy of Technology)- Dr. Jaron Lanier “Human Phenomenology in Digital Environments: Ontological and Ethical Implications”
- Professor Karen Barad, PhD “Agential Realism: Measurement as Reality-Constituting Practice in Quantum Epistemology”
- Professor N. Katherine Hayles, PhD “Posthuman Ontology: Reconfigured Cognition in Technological Environments”
Session 7: Neuroscientific Approaches to Consciousness11:00–12:30Chair: Professor Sofia Conti, MD, PhD (Max Planck Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience)- Francisco Varela (Presented by Professor Evan Thompson) “Consciousness as Emergent Phenomenon: Enactive Cognitive Science and Neurophenomenology”
- Professor Christof Koch, PhD “Consciousness as Fundamental Property: Integrated Information Theory and Panpsychist Implications”
- Gerald Edelman (Presented by Professor Giulio Tononi) “Dynamic Core Hypothesis: Neurobiological Foundations of Phenomenal Experience”
Plenary Session: The Future of Reality—Converging Perspectives14:30–16:00Chair: Professor Nima Arkani-Hamed, PhD (Institute for Advanced Study, Mathematical Physics)- Professor Max Tegmark, PhD “Mathematical Universe Hypothesis: Ontological Implications of Formal Structures”
- Professor Carlo Rovelli, PhD “Relational Quantum Mechanics: Reality as Interaction-Dependent Phenomenon”
- Professor Maryna Viazovska, PhD “Optimal Sphere Packing and Geometric Structures: Mathematical Foundations of Physical Reality”
Workshop Internazionale: Percezione e Realtà | AIFS Percezione e Realtà
Un dialogo interdisciplinare tra filosofia, scienza e matematica
Accademia Internazionale di Filosofia della Scienza15–17 Aprile 2025Università di Bologna, Aula MagnaUn’esplorazione intellettuale della realtà
Questo workshop internazionale riunisce filosofi, matematici, fisici e neuroscienziati per esplorare la complessa relazione tra percezione e realtà. Attraverso un dialogo interdisciplinare, esamineremo come il pensiero umano, dalla filosofia antica agli sviluppi contemporanei della fisica quantistica e dell’intelligenza artificiale, abbia affrontato la questione fondamentale del rapporto tra la nostra comprensione soggettiva del mondo e la sua struttura oggettiva.
Le sessioni saranno strutturate cronologicamente, fornendo una prospettiva storica ed evolutiva sulla questione, culminando nelle frontiere attuali della ricerca e nelle implicazioni future per la scienza e la filosofia.
Giorno 1 – Fondamenti Filosofici e Storici
15 Aprile 2025
9:00–10:30Sessione 1: Antichità (Grecia, India, Cina)Moderatore: Prof. Emile Durand
Storia della Filosofia, Università della Sorbona-
Platone
La verità è al di là della percezione.
-
Patanjali
La percezione è velo, non verità.
-
Zhuangzi
Chi distingue il sogno dalla realtà?
11:00–12:30Sessione 2: Medioevo e RinascimentoModeratore: Dott.ssa Maria Rossi
Epistemologia, Università di Padova-
Avicenna
La mente costruisce la realtà.
-
Tommaso d’Aquino
La percezione è via alla trascendenza.
-
Roger Bacon
La matematica svela la struttura del mondo.
Giorno 2 – Scienza e Matematica Moderna
16 Aprile 2025
9:00–10:30Sessione 3: XIX–XX secolo – La Realtà MatematicaModeratore: Prof. Jean-Luc Moreau
Filosofia Matematica, École Normale Supérieure-
Leopold Kronecker
Dio ha creato gli interi; il resto è opera dell’uomo.
-
David Hilbert
La matematica è sistema formale, non mistero.
-
Kurt Gödel
La verità trascende la dimostrazione.
11:00–12:30Sessione 4: Fisica Quantistica e CoscienzaModeratore: Prof. Elena Moretti
Fisica Fondamentale, CERN-
Werner Heisenberg
L’osservatore modifica la realtà.
-
David Bohm
La realtà è una totalità indivisa.
-
Roger Penrose
La matematica è ponte tra mente e universo.
14:30–16:00Sessione 5: Intelligenza Artificiale e PercezioneModeratore: Dott. Alessandro De Luca
AI e Filosofia, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia-
Alan Turing
Può una macchina pensare?
-
Noam Chomsky
La matematica struttura il linguaggio.
-
Yoshua Bengio
L’apprendimento è legge matematica.
Giorno 3 – Realtà Digitale e Contemporaneità
17 Aprile 2025
9:00–10:30Sessione 6: Realtà Virtuale e OntologiaModeratore: Prof. Luca Bianchi
Filosofia della Tecnologia, Politecnico di Milano-
Jaron Lanier
La tecnologia deve rispettare la dignità umana.
-
Karen Barad
La realtà è intra-azione.
-
Timothy Morton
L’iperoggetto è realtà.
11:00–12:30Sessione 7: Futuro della PercezioneModeratore: Dott.ssa Sofia Ricci
Neuroscienze, Università di Pisa-
Anil Seth
La coscienza è percezione controllata.
-
Thomas Metzinger
L’io è un modello.
-
David Chalmers
La realtà è simulazione?
Relatori
I relatori di questo workshop sono tra i più eminenti studiosi nel campo della filosofia, matematica, fisica e neuroscienze. La loro esperienza e le loro ricerche offrono una prospettiva unica e multidisciplinare sul tema della percezione e della realtà.
Iscrizione
L’iscrizione al workshop è aperta a tutti gli interessati. Si prega di compilare il modulo di registrazione online per partecipare. La quota di iscrizione include l’accesso a tutte le sessioni, i materiali del workshop e i coffee break.
Registrati OraInternational Symposium: Perception and Reality | IAPS 2025 IAPS • 2025Perception and Reality
An International Symposium on Epistemological Foundations, Consciousness, and Mathematical StructuresInternational Academy of Philosophy of Science15–17 April 2025 | Villa Monastero, Varenna, Lake Como, ItalySymposium Programme
Day 1 – Historical and Philosophical FoundationsSession 1: Ancient Conceptions of Reality and Perception09:00–10:30Chair: Professor Emile Durand, DSc (Sorbonne University, Department of History of Philosophy)- Plato (Presented by Dr. Gabriella Montinari) “Truth Beyond Phenomenal Experience: The Metaphysical Status of Forms in Platonic Epistemology”
- Patañjali (Presented by Professor Rajiv Malhotra) “Perception as Epistemological Veil: Yogic Methodologies of Consciousness”
- Zhuangzi (Presented by Dr. Li Weiming) “The Dream-Reality Dialectic: Phenomenological Paradoxes in Classical Daoist Epistemology”
Session 2: Medieval and Renaissance Epistemological Frameworks11:00–12:30Chair: Professor Maria Rossi, PhD (University of Milan, Department of Theoretical Philosophy)- Avicenna (Ibn Sina) (Presented by Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr) “Mental Construction and Objective Reality: Epistemological Foundations in Islamic Philosophical Tradition”
- Thomas Aquinas (Presented by Professor John F. Wippel) “Sensory Perception as Pathway to Transcendent Reality: The Thomistic Synthesis”
- Roger Bacon (Presented by Dr. Amanda Powers) “Mathematical Structures as Ontological Foundation: Proto-Scientific Epistemology in the 13th Century”
Day 2 – Modern Scientific Epistemology and Mathematical StructuresSession 3: Mathematical Foundations of Knowledge (19th-20th Century)09:00–10:30Chair: Professor Jean-Luc Moreau, Docteur ès Sciences (École Normale Supérieure, Institute for Philosophy of Mathematics)- Leopold Kronecker (Presented by Professor Jeremy Gray) “Die ganzen Zahlen hat der liebe Gott gemacht: Finitism and the Ontological Status of Mathematical Objects”
- David Hilbert (Presented by Professor W. Hugh Woodin) “Formal Axiomatic Systems as the Foundation of Mathematical Reality: Epistemological Implications”
- Kurt Gödel (Presented by Professor John W. Dawson, Jr.) “Truth Beyond Formal Provability: Implications for Mathematical Platonism and Epistemology”
Session 4: Quantum Theoretical Frameworks and Consciousness11:00–12:30Chair: Professor Elena Moretti, PhD (ETH Zurich, Institute for Theoretical Physics)- Werner Heisenberg (Presented by Professor Anton Zeilinger) “The Observer’s Role in Quantum Measurement: Epistemological Implications for Objective Reality”
- David Bohm (Presented by Professor Basil J. Hiley) “Undivided Wholeness and Implicate Order: Non-Cartesian Ontology in Quantum Theory”
- Sir Roger Penrose (Presented by Professor Stuart Hameroff) “Mathematical Structures as Bridges Between Consciousness and Physical Reality: The Orch-OR Hypothesis”
Session 5: Computational Intelligence and Perceptual Epistemology14:30–16:00Chair: Professor Alessandro De Luca, PhD (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, AI Ethics and Philosophy)- Alan Turing (Presented by Professor Andrew Hodges) “Machine Perception and Cognition: Computational Frameworks for Epistemology”
- Noam Chomsky (Presented by Professor Barbara Partee) “Mathematical Structures in Linguistic Cognition: Universal Grammar as Epistemological Framework”
- Professor Yoshua Bengio, PhD “Learning as Mathematical Law: Bayesian Foundations of Machine Perception and Epistemic Structures”
Day 3 – Contemporary Perspectives on Digital Reality and ConsciousnessSession 6: Virtual Reality and Ontological Frameworks09:00–10:30Chair: Professor Luca Bianchi, PhD (University of Bologna, Department of Philosophy of Technology)- Dr. Jaron Lanier “Human Phenomenology in Digital Environments: Ontological and Ethical Implications”
- Professor Karen Barad, PhD “Agential Realism: Measurement as Reality-Constituting Practice in Quantum Epistemology”
- Professor N. Katherine Hayles, PhD “Posthuman Ontology: Reconfigured Cognition in Technological Environments”
Session 7: Neuroscientific Approaches to Consciousness11:00–12:30Chair: Professor Sofia Conti, MD, PhD (Max Planck Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience)- Francisco Varela (Presented by Professor Evan Thompson) “Consciousness as Emergent Phenomenon: Enactive Cognitive Science and Neurophenomenology”
- Professor Christof Koch, PhD “Consciousness as Fundamental Property: Integrated Information Theory and Panpsychist Implications”
- Gerald Edelman (Presented by Professor Giulio Tononi) “Dynamic Core Hypothesis: Neurobiological Foundations of Phenomenal Experience”
Plenary Session: The Future of Reality—Converging Perspectives14:30–16:00Chair: Professor Nima Arkani-Hamed, PhD (Institute for Advanced Study, Mathematical Physics)- Professor Max Tegmark, PhD “Mathematical Universe Hypothesis: Ontological Implications of Formal Structures”
- Professor Carlo Rovelli, PhD “Relational Quantum Mechanics: Reality as Interaction-Dependent Phenomenon”
- Professor Maryna Viazovska, PhD “Optimal Sphere Packing and Geometric Structures: Mathematical Foundations of Physical Reality”