Felice Masi | Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" (original) (raw)

Papers by Felice Masi

Research paper thumbnail of Vivere per contarla. Le nuove scienze della scrittura e la fenomenologia della scrittura di calcolo

Machane, 7, 2024

Abstract: Since the 1990s, writing studies have undergone a concrete turn, focusing on the manipu... more Abstract: Since the 1990s, writing studies have undergone a concrete turn, focusing on the manipulation of material symbols and the links between writing and calculation. On the other hand, the claim that Husserl had an idea of language as calculus has not produced a revision of his conception of writing. I intend to propose a neo-Husserlian analysis of writing as a cognitive function of computation. The essay will thus be divided into four parts. In the first, I will outline the reasons for a neo-Husserlian supplement to the science of writing. In the second part, I will present the main results that archaeological investigations, psychological-cognitive analyses, philosophy of mathematical practice and philosophy of mediality have achieved on writing. In the third part, I will schematically present the Husserlian definitions of counting, operation, calculation,
symbolic writing and reading. In the fourth part, I will show the different uses of writing for the achievement of the evidence of clarity and the evidence of distinction and why the latter is also could be defined as computational evidence.

Research paper thumbnail of Husserl e la storia della logica

Bollettino Filosofico 39 (2024): 321-343, 2024

The essay aims to examine the role that the history of logic, in its different versions, has play... more The essay aims to examine the role that the history of logic, in its different versions, has played in Husserlian thought. The essay consists of five paragraphs. In the first, I will go back over some preparatory material to the 1890-91 review of Schröder, in which the role of Viète and his specious
algebra is mentioned for the first time, and the 1895 lectures on the history of contemporary logic. In the second, I will go back to the 1887-88 manuscripts on the history and philosophy of mathematics (in which Kant and, above all, Hume are discussed), then follow their development in 1896, when logic as a theoretical discipline is included, and in 1908, where an early reference to the Stoic theory of lektòn appears. In the third section, I will address the connection between the 1913 reduction of logic with the historical-critical analysis of the apophantic-formal analytic of 1923-24 and the distinction between rationalisation, comprehension and logification of the same years, through which the problem of the ideal
genesis of the idea of rigorous science is posed. In section four, however, I will address the brief history of logic that Husserl composes in 1929, within Formal and Transcendental Logic, in which the link between Stoics and Viète, i.e. between symbolic knowledge and algebra, is now explicit, and in which the historical problem of logic is intimately connected to that of rationality as a praxis of responsibility and control, and the link between the documentation of the sciences and the creation of communities
professionally concerned with truth is evident. Finally, in the conclusions, I will try to show how and why, in Crisis, the order of historical prominence goes from physical geometry to modern logic, and not vice versa.

Research paper thumbnail of The Problem of Generalities. Carnap and Kaufmann in Comparison (1928-1934)

HUMANA.MENTE Journal of Philosophical Studies, 2024, 45, 183-239 ISSN: 1972-1293, 2024

Between 1928 and 1934, Rudolf Carnap and Felix Kaufmann engaged in an in-tense discussion on the ... more Between 1928 and 1934, Rudolf Carnap and Felix Kaufmann engaged in an in-tense discussion on the difference between two types of generalities. Kaufmann introduces the topic, but both consider it decisive for the theory of meaning and the philosophy of mathematics. That is two of the central issues in the discus-sions of the Vienna Circle, one related to the confrontation with Tractatus, the other to that with Principia Mathematica. Through the difference between gen-eralities, Kaufmann brings Husserlian theories of abstraction and concept into Vienna. For the first, and perhaps the only time, a live confrontation between phenomenology and logical neo-empiricism takes place.After a brief exposition of state-of-the-art on generalities in contemporary literature, the paper presents in the first paragraph the Kaufmannian definition of the two generalities and its application to the philosophy of mathematics, in the second, the Husserlian pre-suppositions of the distinction in the third the first phase of the debate between Kaufmann and Carnap (1928-1931) and in the fourth the second phase (1928-1934). The main result of the confrontation is the definition of thing language and the discussion on the extent of its extension, decisive arguments for the liberalisation of the empirical criterion of significance and thus for the fate of 20th-century empiricism

Research paper thumbnail of El espacio de las leyes: Para una fenomenología de la experiencia

Perspectivas sobre la vida humana: cuerpo, mente, género y persona, 2011, ISBN 978-84-9940-257-4, págs. 349-362, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Supposizioni e logica della probabilità in Husserl (1902-1911)

Rivista di filosofia neoscolastica, 2021

The suppositional view of the conditionals, and the modal language which derives from it, has a p... more The suppositional view of the conditionals, and the modal language which derives from it, has a pivotal position in the current debate on probability. In order to clarify better many of the topics under discussion could be useful the resumption of the reflections that Husserl dedicated to probability between 1902 and 1911. Against the background of a verificationist epistemology of quasi-intuitive empirical statements, Husserl elaborates a logic of probability, distinct from the pure logic, which applies to a specific class of empirical statements, suppositions. To this end, he defines different forms of hypotheses and logical modalities; then he elaborates a peculiar concept of a fundamental field, in which it is possible to determine the changes in the modalities of the statements based on motivations, probabilistically measurable. This theory, with its oscillations and uncertainties, will be abandoned, starting from 1913, to make room for a more markedly foundational position with the demonstration of presentability, which stresses, in a transcendental sense, the principle of phenomenological accessibility.

Research paper thumbnail of Warum ist Eis kein Wasser auf der Zwillingserde?

Das Exemplarische

In den letzten dreißig Jahren hat die Erforschung von Begriffen, Konzeptionen und deren Unterschi... more In den letzten dreißig Jahren hat die Erforschung von Begriffen, Konzeptionen und deren Unterschieden an Bedeutung gewonnen.Dieser Bereich ist disziplinenübergreifend, denn er beinhaltet Diskussionen der Logik (über die Definition von Begriffen), der Philosophie des Geistes (über die Analyse von Begriffsbildungsprozessen) und der Erkenntnistheorie (über die Untersuchung der Bildung und Veränderung von Begriffssystemen. Nicht zuletzt aus diesen Gründen stammen die besten Analysen des Begriffs ‚Beispiel‘ aus diesem Foschungsbereich. Aus der Perspektive der von Goodman inspirierten Definition des Beispiels scheinen allerdings die Theorien, die in diesem Bereich aufgestellt wurden, insofern mangelhaft, als sie Beispiele weder als Instanziierung von Eigenschaften noch als Referenten verstehen.

Research paper thumbnail of A Property-Pump. Esempi, esperimenti e apriori contingenti

Masi, Melisi, Seller (eds.), Tra Experientia ed experimentum. Medioevo e modernità a contronto, pp. 173-193, 2022

What distinguishes an experience from an experiment? And in what does the transition from one to ... more What distinguishes an experience from an experiment? And in what
does the transition from one to the other consist of?
Questions such as these accompany the entire history of empiricism
from Hume onwards. They are questions which, if properly understood, prevent us from getting away with one of the typical shortcuts: the difference between quality and quantity, or between qualia and things, or between description in the first or third person (or perhaps even second person), or between subjectivity and objectivity, or between the influence or ininfluence of observation.
The answer I would like to propose is that the difference, and thus also the
connection, between experience and experiment passes through the example, its choice and the work that is done with it. And this is the main answer that can be derived - at least this is my opinion - from a careful reading of Husserl. The centrality of the example in phenomenology, and especially in its long (perhaps too long) epistemological preparations,
testifies among other things, and once again, to the belonging of
phenomenology to a certain empiricist tradition and helps to clarify
what kind of empiricism phenomenology is.
That phenomenology has a passion not only for differences also for examples is a well-known fact; it is what for some makes it tedious, wasteful. It is so well known that it has more than once been interpreted
from the function it reserves for examples, both when an exemplaristic metaphysics an exemplarist metaphysics (De Muralt 1958), or when, examining its theory of concepts, the link between formalisation and
empirical-exemplary basis (Benoist 2009; cf. Lobo 2000), or when its use has been appreciated, in its narrower application to
psychopathology (Lanteri-Laura 1954).
What is less well known, however, is that, knowing how difficult the
choice of an example, Husserl had devised an instrument to regulate its
its formation and operation. The instrument of which I speak is the a
contingent a priori.I thought I would organise my report like this. First I will give a brief introduction and some initial clarification of terms. Then I will try to explain what I mean by example. Finally, I will line up some definitions of contingent a priori, taken mainly from Husserl.

Research paper thumbnail of Supposizioni e logica della probabilità in Husserl (1902-1911)

Rivista di filosofia neoscolastica, 2021

The suppositional view of the conditionals, and the modal language which derives from it, has a p... more The suppositional view of the conditionals, and the modal language which derives from it, has a pivotal position
in the current debate on probability. In order to clarify better many of the topics under discussion could be useful the
resumption of the reflections that Husserl dedicated to probability between 1902 and 1911. Against the background of a
verificationist epistemology of quasi-intuitive empirical statements, Husserl elaborates a logic of probability, distinct from
the pure logic, which applies to a specific class of empirical statements, suppositions. To this end, he defines different forms of
hypotheses and logical modalities; then he elaborates a peculiar concept of a fundamental field, in which it is possible to
determine the changes in the modalities of the statements based on motivations, probabilistically measurable. This theory,
with its oscillations and uncertainties, will be abandoned, starting from 1913, to make room for a more markedly
foundational position with the demonstration of presentability, which stresses, in a transcendental sense, the principle of
phenomenological accessibility.

Research paper thumbnail of Warum ist Eis kein Wasser auf der Zwillingserde? Zu den paradigmatischen Beispielen bei Kuhn

Summa-Mertens, Das Exemplarische, 2022

In den letzten dreißig Jahren hat die Erforschung von Begriffen, Konzeptionen und deren Unterschi... more In den letzten dreißig Jahren hat die Erforschung von Begriffen, Konzeptionen und deren Unterschieden an Bedeutung gewonnen.Dieser Bereich ist disziplinenübergreifend, denn er beinhaltet Diskussionen der Logik (über die Definition von Begriffen), der Philosophie des Geistes (über die Analyse von Begriffsbildungsprozessen) und der Erkenntnistheorie (über die Untersuchung der Bildung und Veränderung von Begriffssystemen. Nicht zuletzt aus diesen Gründen stammen die besten Analysen des Begriffs ‚Beispiel‘ aus diesem Foschungsbereich. Aus der Perspektive der von Goodman inspirierten Definition des Beispiels scheinen allerdings die Theorien, die in diesem Bereich aufgestellt wurden, insofern mangelhaft, als sie Beispiele weder als Instanziierung von Eigenschaften noch als Referenten verstehen.

Research paper thumbnail of Masi, Concepts of Time in Husserl

Temporality represents the most important and difficult question of phenomenology: decisive for i... more Temporality represents the most important and difficult question of
phenomenology: decisive for its idea of phenomenon and consciousness. What means that time is the appearing itself, so not a time of consciousness but the consciousness itself: this is the phenomenological question about the origin of time. Composed in three decades approximately—from 1904 to 1934—Husserlian contributions phenomenology of temporality constitutes the most extensive corpus
about this matter in the canon of occidental philosophy. They lead in three main directions and correspond to the same number of periods of their development: the mathesis of intentional manifolds (1904–1911), the metaphysics of individuality (1917–1918), the theory of temporal self-constitution (1929–1934). After the description of the phases, the sources and the internal articulations, the paper makes room for a brief and essential glossary of phenomenology of temporality, made up of some of the most considerable and aporetic notions: the retention, and its bond with protention, individuality and its elusive essence, the flow and the stream. Lastly, the paper inspects and examines some of the most remarkable critics to phenomenology of temporality, from Heidegger to Derrida, from Bergmann to Lévinas, in order to demonstrate how leading was its role in the whole philosophy of the twentieth century.

Research paper thumbnail of Felice Masi, L'arte della misura

Null'altro potrebbe alleviargli il peso dell'inneres Einssein, dell'essere internamente uno con q... more Null'altro potrebbe alleviargli il peso dell'inneres Einssein, dell'essere internamente uno con quei problemi, che gli gravava sulle spalle come l'armatura al Cavaliere di Dürer, tra morte e diavolo. Non incede però come un miles christianus, né come lo Schopenhauer di Nietzsche, ma come lo homo mathematicus di Musil. Come colui che, dotato di un so phantastisches Gefühl, riesce a vedere fino al fondo tutto «un edificio sospeso in aria, nonostante le macchine funzionino ancora» 7. Quell'analogia dell'uomo spirituale dell'avvenire, cui Musil indulge ripensando agli scampati dal tramonto dell'Occidente. Ciò da cui i contributi, contenuti nelle prossime pagine, prenderanno le mosse è giusto questo Husserl, lo Husserl di Gottinga, per come in esso i primi abbozzi di una teoria dell'esperienza e del pensiero siano immancabilmente connessi alle domande della conoscenza naturale, alla determinazione del suo linguaggio, alla formazione dei suoi concetti e delle sue argomentazioni. Per come cioè riesca ad intendere che l'essere internamente uno dei problemi che solleva stia nella stessa nozione di misura e nell'esperienza che di essa si fa, la Meßkunst, l'arte della misura. Così proprio partendo dalle riflessioni che Husserl compie nel corso del 1904/05 sul rapporto tra uno e molti e quindi sulle questioni dell'individuazione e dell'identificazione, e poi tornando indietro alle ricerche che, negli anni tra i due secoli, lo occupano attorno ai concetti di molteplicità definita, quantità e grandezza, ed infine andando avanti fino al corso del 1907 su Cosa e spazio, per individuare una determinazione piena della grandezza continua, abbiamo cercato di rendere il quadro incompleto di una logica della conoscenza naturale. Restava però ancora in sospeso una domanda che Husserl pone negli anni gottinghesi e che solo parzialmente avrebbe trovato risposta nelle rettifiche alle analisi del concetto di tempo, presentate, alcuni anni dopo, nei Manoscritti di Bernau. Una domanda che, prima facie, esula dal regno della natura e che invece si rivela decisiva per la sua conoscibilità. È possibile una coscienza profetica? È cioè possibile una conoscenza previsionale? La medesima

Research paper thumbnail of Masi Prova e ragione in Bollettino filosofico

Can we say that the epistemology of the first phenomenology is a form of verificationism and that... more Can we say that the epistemology of the first phenomenology is a form of verificationism and that the VI Logical Investigation has introduced perception in the “space of reasons”? Can we share what Husserl himself wrote on the VI Logical Investigation, or that it constituted a first step towards a phenomenological theory of reason?
These two questions are mirror-like; although the first concerns the demarcation of phenomenology with respect to the tradition of classical empiricism (of which, somehow, also included Brentano, but also the Carnap’s testability and Popper’s falsificationism) and the other with respect to subsequent developments of husserlian thought, that is to say with respect to phenomenological philosophy or transcendental phenomenology, however only if the phenomenological epistemology of VI Logical Investigation is part of a theory of reason (in a theory of give the reason of cognitive statements and ultimately also of oneself, as a theory) , then it can also be a particular case of verificationism.

Research paper thumbnail of Masi, Lask's Theory of Category in D'Anna, Fossati (eds)

The most general meaning of the verb is "to accuse," whereas, in the sense of "to predicate," it ... more The most general meaning of the verb is "to accuse," whereas, in the sense of "to predicate," it is not attested before Aristotle. Instead, according to Düring 1966: 53-64, "das Wort kategoria in der Bedeutung Cristina Rossitto 12 precisely because the "categories" themselves are "genera," indeed maxima genera, some scholars, as it has happened in this case, prefer to use the term κατηγορία in two ways, that is both in its translation, "predication," and in its transliteration, "category." As a result, the translation of the expression τὰ γένη τῶν κατηγοριῶν can be "the categories of predication." 3 From the very beginning of the passage, Aristotle declares that the categories are ten of number, and even this information is very important. The context promotes the numerical precision, because, in the first book of Topics, he is particularly concerned with establishing the exact number of what it is dealing with: ten are the categories; three are the uses of dialectic; four are the predicable, and so on (cf., respectively, Top. I 9; 2; 4). Aristotle, however, rarely mentions all the ten categories, given that, when he refers to them, he is normally only limited to the first three or four. With reference to that number, it is interesting to note that it is used in the title of a lost work on categories that is the Περὶ τοῦ καθόλου λόγου ἤτοι δέκα κατηγοριῶν. The ancient thinkers Iamblichus and Simplicius, quoting some fragments of this work, present it as a source of inspiration for Aristotle's Categories, since they believe that its author is the ancient and famous Pythagorean Archytas Tarentinus, the friend of Plato. But, as is well known, it is, as in many other cases, a much later scripture, which "just and on the contrary" resembles Aristotle's Categories. 4 The categories listed in the passage of Topics are: what-a-thing-is (τί ἐστι), quantity (ποσόν), quality (ποιόν), relation (πρός τι), where (ποῦ), when (ποτέ), being-in-a-position (κεῖσθαι), having (ἔχειν), doing (ποιεῖν), being-affected (πάσχειν). Indeed, the same list, with the same terminology, 5 Aussage kommt nicht bei Platon vor; nur einmal-Theaet. 167A-finden wir das Verbum in dieser Bedeutung."(60) 3 This is also the translation done by R. Smith, in Aristotle 1997: 8. The same line of arguments had already been embraced by J. Brunschwig, in Aristote 1967: 13 (and fn. 2): les catégories des prédications. Here are other translation proposals, in the main modern languages: "the kinds of categories" (

Research paper thumbnail of Masi, Antinomies of Measure, in Catena, Masi (eds)

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Research paper thumbnail of F. Masi, Lask y Gaos compressed

Pio Colonnello La sorge y la mocionalidad entre Heidegger y Gaos Mariarosaria Colucciello Lo polí... more Pio Colonnello La sorge y la mocionalidad entre Heidegger y Gaos Mariarosaria Colucciello Lo político en lo taurino: las unidades fraseológicas de la tauromaquia y su uso en el habla política Domenico Conte En la barca de salvamento. Thomas Mann y el Viaje por mar con Don Quijote Giuseppe D'Angelo Relaciones internacionales, nacionalismo y transformaciones económicas en Venezuela en las primeras décadas del siglo XX Giuseppe D'Anna Entre lo "proprio" y lo "ajeno". El concepto filosófico de Heimat en el pensamiento de Hölderlin Luis de Llera Sacerdote republicano y filósofo exiliado: José Manuel Gallegos Rocafull Giorgia dello Russo Una «biobibliografía» del cronista olvidado:

Research paper thumbnail of F. Masi, Il verso della dissoluzione... compressed(1)

Il verso della dissoluzione e quello della caduta Notizie sull'orientamento architettonico tra Th... more Il verso della dissoluzione e quello della caduta Notizie sull'orientamento architettonico tra Th. Lipps e H. van der Laan Felice Masi 1. Pretesto: dal di sotto e dal di lato «Gli ingegneri quando fanno un ponte... poi, dopo che è fatto, e si regge da sé solo... al

Research paper thumbnail of The Changing Faces of Space

Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics, 2017

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Research paper thumbnail of Il contesto dell’epistemologia provabilistica di Alfred Schutz

Realismo, pragmatismo, naturalismo. Le trasformazioni della fenomenologia in Nord America, 2020

The essay aims to examine some contributions of A. Schutz to general epistemological questions, ... more The essay aims to examine some contributions of A. Schutz to general
epistemological questions, starting from his idea of the scientific theories and concepts formation, of type and model, of relevance, of proof and degree of belief. Great attention is paid to the resumption of the Carneades’ mechanism, in which each operation of confirmation is linked to a level of credibility. The focus on these issues allows not only to understand Schutz’s context (North American phenomenology, logical neo-empiricism, pragmatism and his peculiar relationship with F. Kaufmann), but also to establish a comparison with Chisholm’s reading of Carneades.

Research paper thumbnail of Logica e riflessione

Research paper thumbnail of L'arte della misura : contributi su fenomenologia e conoscenza naturale

Research paper thumbnail of Vivere per contarla. Le nuove scienze della scrittura e la fenomenologia della scrittura di calcolo

Machane, 7, 2024

Abstract: Since the 1990s, writing studies have undergone a concrete turn, focusing on the manipu... more Abstract: Since the 1990s, writing studies have undergone a concrete turn, focusing on the manipulation of material symbols and the links between writing and calculation. On the other hand, the claim that Husserl had an idea of language as calculus has not produced a revision of his conception of writing. I intend to propose a neo-Husserlian analysis of writing as a cognitive function of computation. The essay will thus be divided into four parts. In the first, I will outline the reasons for a neo-Husserlian supplement to the science of writing. In the second part, I will present the main results that archaeological investigations, psychological-cognitive analyses, philosophy of mathematical practice and philosophy of mediality have achieved on writing. In the third part, I will schematically present the Husserlian definitions of counting, operation, calculation,
symbolic writing and reading. In the fourth part, I will show the different uses of writing for the achievement of the evidence of clarity and the evidence of distinction and why the latter is also could be defined as computational evidence.

Research paper thumbnail of Husserl e la storia della logica

Bollettino Filosofico 39 (2024): 321-343, 2024

The essay aims to examine the role that the history of logic, in its different versions, has play... more The essay aims to examine the role that the history of logic, in its different versions, has played in Husserlian thought. The essay consists of five paragraphs. In the first, I will go back over some preparatory material to the 1890-91 review of Schröder, in which the role of Viète and his specious
algebra is mentioned for the first time, and the 1895 lectures on the history of contemporary logic. In the second, I will go back to the 1887-88 manuscripts on the history and philosophy of mathematics (in which Kant and, above all, Hume are discussed), then follow their development in 1896, when logic as a theoretical discipline is included, and in 1908, where an early reference to the Stoic theory of lektòn appears. In the third section, I will address the connection between the 1913 reduction of logic with the historical-critical analysis of the apophantic-formal analytic of 1923-24 and the distinction between rationalisation, comprehension and logification of the same years, through which the problem of the ideal
genesis of the idea of rigorous science is posed. In section four, however, I will address the brief history of logic that Husserl composes in 1929, within Formal and Transcendental Logic, in which the link between Stoics and Viète, i.e. between symbolic knowledge and algebra, is now explicit, and in which the historical problem of logic is intimately connected to that of rationality as a praxis of responsibility and control, and the link between the documentation of the sciences and the creation of communities
professionally concerned with truth is evident. Finally, in the conclusions, I will try to show how and why, in Crisis, the order of historical prominence goes from physical geometry to modern logic, and not vice versa.

Research paper thumbnail of The Problem of Generalities. Carnap and Kaufmann in Comparison (1928-1934)

HUMANA.MENTE Journal of Philosophical Studies, 2024, 45, 183-239 ISSN: 1972-1293, 2024

Between 1928 and 1934, Rudolf Carnap and Felix Kaufmann engaged in an in-tense discussion on the ... more Between 1928 and 1934, Rudolf Carnap and Felix Kaufmann engaged in an in-tense discussion on the difference between two types of generalities. Kaufmann introduces the topic, but both consider it decisive for the theory of meaning and the philosophy of mathematics. That is two of the central issues in the discus-sions of the Vienna Circle, one related to the confrontation with Tractatus, the other to that with Principia Mathematica. Through the difference between gen-eralities, Kaufmann brings Husserlian theories of abstraction and concept into Vienna. For the first, and perhaps the only time, a live confrontation between phenomenology and logical neo-empiricism takes place.After a brief exposition of state-of-the-art on generalities in contemporary literature, the paper presents in the first paragraph the Kaufmannian definition of the two generalities and its application to the philosophy of mathematics, in the second, the Husserlian pre-suppositions of the distinction in the third the first phase of the debate between Kaufmann and Carnap (1928-1931) and in the fourth the second phase (1928-1934). The main result of the confrontation is the definition of thing language and the discussion on the extent of its extension, decisive arguments for the liberalisation of the empirical criterion of significance and thus for the fate of 20th-century empiricism

Research paper thumbnail of El espacio de las leyes: Para una fenomenología de la experiencia

Perspectivas sobre la vida humana: cuerpo, mente, género y persona, 2011, ISBN 978-84-9940-257-4, págs. 349-362, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Supposizioni e logica della probabilità in Husserl (1902-1911)

Rivista di filosofia neoscolastica, 2021

The suppositional view of the conditionals, and the modal language which derives from it, has a p... more The suppositional view of the conditionals, and the modal language which derives from it, has a pivotal position in the current debate on probability. In order to clarify better many of the topics under discussion could be useful the resumption of the reflections that Husserl dedicated to probability between 1902 and 1911. Against the background of a verificationist epistemology of quasi-intuitive empirical statements, Husserl elaborates a logic of probability, distinct from the pure logic, which applies to a specific class of empirical statements, suppositions. To this end, he defines different forms of hypotheses and logical modalities; then he elaborates a peculiar concept of a fundamental field, in which it is possible to determine the changes in the modalities of the statements based on motivations, probabilistically measurable. This theory, with its oscillations and uncertainties, will be abandoned, starting from 1913, to make room for a more markedly foundational position with the demonstration of presentability, which stresses, in a transcendental sense, the principle of phenomenological accessibility.

Research paper thumbnail of Warum ist Eis kein Wasser auf der Zwillingserde?

Das Exemplarische

In den letzten dreißig Jahren hat die Erforschung von Begriffen, Konzeptionen und deren Unterschi... more In den letzten dreißig Jahren hat die Erforschung von Begriffen, Konzeptionen und deren Unterschieden an Bedeutung gewonnen.Dieser Bereich ist disziplinenübergreifend, denn er beinhaltet Diskussionen der Logik (über die Definition von Begriffen), der Philosophie des Geistes (über die Analyse von Begriffsbildungsprozessen) und der Erkenntnistheorie (über die Untersuchung der Bildung und Veränderung von Begriffssystemen. Nicht zuletzt aus diesen Gründen stammen die besten Analysen des Begriffs ‚Beispiel‘ aus diesem Foschungsbereich. Aus der Perspektive der von Goodman inspirierten Definition des Beispiels scheinen allerdings die Theorien, die in diesem Bereich aufgestellt wurden, insofern mangelhaft, als sie Beispiele weder als Instanziierung von Eigenschaften noch als Referenten verstehen.

Research paper thumbnail of A Property-Pump. Esempi, esperimenti e apriori contingenti

Masi, Melisi, Seller (eds.), Tra Experientia ed experimentum. Medioevo e modernità a contronto, pp. 173-193, 2022

What distinguishes an experience from an experiment? And in what does the transition from one to ... more What distinguishes an experience from an experiment? And in what
does the transition from one to the other consist of?
Questions such as these accompany the entire history of empiricism
from Hume onwards. They are questions which, if properly understood, prevent us from getting away with one of the typical shortcuts: the difference between quality and quantity, or between qualia and things, or between description in the first or third person (or perhaps even second person), or between subjectivity and objectivity, or between the influence or ininfluence of observation.
The answer I would like to propose is that the difference, and thus also the
connection, between experience and experiment passes through the example, its choice and the work that is done with it. And this is the main answer that can be derived - at least this is my opinion - from a careful reading of Husserl. The centrality of the example in phenomenology, and especially in its long (perhaps too long) epistemological preparations,
testifies among other things, and once again, to the belonging of
phenomenology to a certain empiricist tradition and helps to clarify
what kind of empiricism phenomenology is.
That phenomenology has a passion not only for differences also for examples is a well-known fact; it is what for some makes it tedious, wasteful. It is so well known that it has more than once been interpreted
from the function it reserves for examples, both when an exemplaristic metaphysics an exemplarist metaphysics (De Muralt 1958), or when, examining its theory of concepts, the link between formalisation and
empirical-exemplary basis (Benoist 2009; cf. Lobo 2000), or when its use has been appreciated, in its narrower application to
psychopathology (Lanteri-Laura 1954).
What is less well known, however, is that, knowing how difficult the
choice of an example, Husserl had devised an instrument to regulate its
its formation and operation. The instrument of which I speak is the a
contingent a priori.I thought I would organise my report like this. First I will give a brief introduction and some initial clarification of terms. Then I will try to explain what I mean by example. Finally, I will line up some definitions of contingent a priori, taken mainly from Husserl.

Research paper thumbnail of Supposizioni e logica della probabilità in Husserl (1902-1911)

Rivista di filosofia neoscolastica, 2021

The suppositional view of the conditionals, and the modal language which derives from it, has a p... more The suppositional view of the conditionals, and the modal language which derives from it, has a pivotal position
in the current debate on probability. In order to clarify better many of the topics under discussion could be useful the
resumption of the reflections that Husserl dedicated to probability between 1902 and 1911. Against the background of a
verificationist epistemology of quasi-intuitive empirical statements, Husserl elaborates a logic of probability, distinct from
the pure logic, which applies to a specific class of empirical statements, suppositions. To this end, he defines different forms of
hypotheses and logical modalities; then he elaborates a peculiar concept of a fundamental field, in which it is possible to
determine the changes in the modalities of the statements based on motivations, probabilistically measurable. This theory,
with its oscillations and uncertainties, will be abandoned, starting from 1913, to make room for a more markedly
foundational position with the demonstration of presentability, which stresses, in a transcendental sense, the principle of
phenomenological accessibility.

Research paper thumbnail of Warum ist Eis kein Wasser auf der Zwillingserde? Zu den paradigmatischen Beispielen bei Kuhn

Summa-Mertens, Das Exemplarische, 2022

In den letzten dreißig Jahren hat die Erforschung von Begriffen, Konzeptionen und deren Unterschi... more In den letzten dreißig Jahren hat die Erforschung von Begriffen, Konzeptionen und deren Unterschieden an Bedeutung gewonnen.Dieser Bereich ist disziplinenübergreifend, denn er beinhaltet Diskussionen der Logik (über die Definition von Begriffen), der Philosophie des Geistes (über die Analyse von Begriffsbildungsprozessen) und der Erkenntnistheorie (über die Untersuchung der Bildung und Veränderung von Begriffssystemen. Nicht zuletzt aus diesen Gründen stammen die besten Analysen des Begriffs ‚Beispiel‘ aus diesem Foschungsbereich. Aus der Perspektive der von Goodman inspirierten Definition des Beispiels scheinen allerdings die Theorien, die in diesem Bereich aufgestellt wurden, insofern mangelhaft, als sie Beispiele weder als Instanziierung von Eigenschaften noch als Referenten verstehen.

Research paper thumbnail of Masi, Concepts of Time in Husserl

Temporality represents the most important and difficult question of phenomenology: decisive for i... more Temporality represents the most important and difficult question of
phenomenology: decisive for its idea of phenomenon and consciousness. What means that time is the appearing itself, so not a time of consciousness but the consciousness itself: this is the phenomenological question about the origin of time. Composed in three decades approximately—from 1904 to 1934—Husserlian contributions phenomenology of temporality constitutes the most extensive corpus
about this matter in the canon of occidental philosophy. They lead in three main directions and correspond to the same number of periods of their development: the mathesis of intentional manifolds (1904–1911), the metaphysics of individuality (1917–1918), the theory of temporal self-constitution (1929–1934). After the description of the phases, the sources and the internal articulations, the paper makes room for a brief and essential glossary of phenomenology of temporality, made up of some of the most considerable and aporetic notions: the retention, and its bond with protention, individuality and its elusive essence, the flow and the stream. Lastly, the paper inspects and examines some of the most remarkable critics to phenomenology of temporality, from Heidegger to Derrida, from Bergmann to Lévinas, in order to demonstrate how leading was its role in the whole philosophy of the twentieth century.

Research paper thumbnail of Felice Masi, L'arte della misura

Null'altro potrebbe alleviargli il peso dell'inneres Einssein, dell'essere internamente uno con q... more Null'altro potrebbe alleviargli il peso dell'inneres Einssein, dell'essere internamente uno con quei problemi, che gli gravava sulle spalle come l'armatura al Cavaliere di Dürer, tra morte e diavolo. Non incede però come un miles christianus, né come lo Schopenhauer di Nietzsche, ma come lo homo mathematicus di Musil. Come colui che, dotato di un so phantastisches Gefühl, riesce a vedere fino al fondo tutto «un edificio sospeso in aria, nonostante le macchine funzionino ancora» 7. Quell'analogia dell'uomo spirituale dell'avvenire, cui Musil indulge ripensando agli scampati dal tramonto dell'Occidente. Ciò da cui i contributi, contenuti nelle prossime pagine, prenderanno le mosse è giusto questo Husserl, lo Husserl di Gottinga, per come in esso i primi abbozzi di una teoria dell'esperienza e del pensiero siano immancabilmente connessi alle domande della conoscenza naturale, alla determinazione del suo linguaggio, alla formazione dei suoi concetti e delle sue argomentazioni. Per come cioè riesca ad intendere che l'essere internamente uno dei problemi che solleva stia nella stessa nozione di misura e nell'esperienza che di essa si fa, la Meßkunst, l'arte della misura. Così proprio partendo dalle riflessioni che Husserl compie nel corso del 1904/05 sul rapporto tra uno e molti e quindi sulle questioni dell'individuazione e dell'identificazione, e poi tornando indietro alle ricerche che, negli anni tra i due secoli, lo occupano attorno ai concetti di molteplicità definita, quantità e grandezza, ed infine andando avanti fino al corso del 1907 su Cosa e spazio, per individuare una determinazione piena della grandezza continua, abbiamo cercato di rendere il quadro incompleto di una logica della conoscenza naturale. Restava però ancora in sospeso una domanda che Husserl pone negli anni gottinghesi e che solo parzialmente avrebbe trovato risposta nelle rettifiche alle analisi del concetto di tempo, presentate, alcuni anni dopo, nei Manoscritti di Bernau. Una domanda che, prima facie, esula dal regno della natura e che invece si rivela decisiva per la sua conoscibilità. È possibile una coscienza profetica? È cioè possibile una conoscenza previsionale? La medesima

Research paper thumbnail of Masi Prova e ragione in Bollettino filosofico

Can we say that the epistemology of the first phenomenology is a form of verificationism and that... more Can we say that the epistemology of the first phenomenology is a form of verificationism and that the VI Logical Investigation has introduced perception in the “space of reasons”? Can we share what Husserl himself wrote on the VI Logical Investigation, or that it constituted a first step towards a phenomenological theory of reason?
These two questions are mirror-like; although the first concerns the demarcation of phenomenology with respect to the tradition of classical empiricism (of which, somehow, also included Brentano, but also the Carnap’s testability and Popper’s falsificationism) and the other with respect to subsequent developments of husserlian thought, that is to say with respect to phenomenological philosophy or transcendental phenomenology, however only if the phenomenological epistemology of VI Logical Investigation is part of a theory of reason (in a theory of give the reason of cognitive statements and ultimately also of oneself, as a theory) , then it can also be a particular case of verificationism.

Research paper thumbnail of Masi, Lask's Theory of Category in D'Anna, Fossati (eds)

The most general meaning of the verb is "to accuse," whereas, in the sense of "to predicate," it ... more The most general meaning of the verb is "to accuse," whereas, in the sense of "to predicate," it is not attested before Aristotle. Instead, according to Düring 1966: 53-64, "das Wort kategoria in der Bedeutung Cristina Rossitto 12 precisely because the "categories" themselves are "genera," indeed maxima genera, some scholars, as it has happened in this case, prefer to use the term κατηγορία in two ways, that is both in its translation, "predication," and in its transliteration, "category." As a result, the translation of the expression τὰ γένη τῶν κατηγοριῶν can be "the categories of predication." 3 From the very beginning of the passage, Aristotle declares that the categories are ten of number, and even this information is very important. The context promotes the numerical precision, because, in the first book of Topics, he is particularly concerned with establishing the exact number of what it is dealing with: ten are the categories; three are the uses of dialectic; four are the predicable, and so on (cf., respectively, Top. I 9; 2; 4). Aristotle, however, rarely mentions all the ten categories, given that, when he refers to them, he is normally only limited to the first three or four. With reference to that number, it is interesting to note that it is used in the title of a lost work on categories that is the Περὶ τοῦ καθόλου λόγου ἤτοι δέκα κατηγοριῶν. The ancient thinkers Iamblichus and Simplicius, quoting some fragments of this work, present it as a source of inspiration for Aristotle's Categories, since they believe that its author is the ancient and famous Pythagorean Archytas Tarentinus, the friend of Plato. But, as is well known, it is, as in many other cases, a much later scripture, which "just and on the contrary" resembles Aristotle's Categories. 4 The categories listed in the passage of Topics are: what-a-thing-is (τί ἐστι), quantity (ποσόν), quality (ποιόν), relation (πρός τι), where (ποῦ), when (ποτέ), being-in-a-position (κεῖσθαι), having (ἔχειν), doing (ποιεῖν), being-affected (πάσχειν). Indeed, the same list, with the same terminology, 5 Aussage kommt nicht bei Platon vor; nur einmal-Theaet. 167A-finden wir das Verbum in dieser Bedeutung."(60) 3 This is also the translation done by R. Smith, in Aristotle 1997: 8. The same line of arguments had already been embraced by J. Brunschwig, in Aristote 1967: 13 (and fn. 2): les catégories des prédications. Here are other translation proposals, in the main modern languages: "the kinds of categories" (

Research paper thumbnail of Masi, Antinomies of Measure, in Catena, Masi (eds)

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Research paper thumbnail of F. Masi, Lask y Gaos compressed

Pio Colonnello La sorge y la mocionalidad entre Heidegger y Gaos Mariarosaria Colucciello Lo polí... more Pio Colonnello La sorge y la mocionalidad entre Heidegger y Gaos Mariarosaria Colucciello Lo político en lo taurino: las unidades fraseológicas de la tauromaquia y su uso en el habla política Domenico Conte En la barca de salvamento. Thomas Mann y el Viaje por mar con Don Quijote Giuseppe D'Angelo Relaciones internacionales, nacionalismo y transformaciones económicas en Venezuela en las primeras décadas del siglo XX Giuseppe D'Anna Entre lo "proprio" y lo "ajeno". El concepto filosófico de Heimat en el pensamiento de Hölderlin Luis de Llera Sacerdote republicano y filósofo exiliado: José Manuel Gallegos Rocafull Giorgia dello Russo Una «biobibliografía» del cronista olvidado:

Research paper thumbnail of F. Masi, Il verso della dissoluzione... compressed(1)

Il verso della dissoluzione e quello della caduta Notizie sull'orientamento architettonico tra Th... more Il verso della dissoluzione e quello della caduta Notizie sull'orientamento architettonico tra Th. Lipps e H. van der Laan Felice Masi 1. Pretesto: dal di sotto e dal di lato «Gli ingegneri quando fanno un ponte... poi, dopo che è fatto, e si regge da sé solo... al

Research paper thumbnail of The Changing Faces of Space

Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics, 2017

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Research paper thumbnail of Il contesto dell’epistemologia provabilistica di Alfred Schutz

Realismo, pragmatismo, naturalismo. Le trasformazioni della fenomenologia in Nord America, 2020

The essay aims to examine some contributions of A. Schutz to general epistemological questions, ... more The essay aims to examine some contributions of A. Schutz to general
epistemological questions, starting from his idea of the scientific theories and concepts formation, of type and model, of relevance, of proof and degree of belief. Great attention is paid to the resumption of the Carneades’ mechanism, in which each operation of confirmation is linked to a level of credibility. The focus on these issues allows not only to understand Schutz’s context (North American phenomenology, logical neo-empiricism, pragmatism and his peculiar relationship with F. Kaufmann), but also to establish a comparison with Chisholm’s reading of Carneades.

Research paper thumbnail of Logica e riflessione

Research paper thumbnail of L'arte della misura : contributi su fenomenologia e conoscenza naturale

Research paper thumbnail of Masi Fenomenologia dal punto di vista empirico

Fenomenologia dal punto di vista empirico, 2023

Chiunque abbia aperto un libro di Husserl sarà stato entusiasta o sorpreso per il frequente ricor... more Chiunque abbia aperto un libro di Husserl sarà stato entusiasta o sorpreso per il frequente ricorso a esempi da cui partire o con cui illustrare lunghe catene di argomenti. Questo è però il sintomo di una visione più ampia, meritevole di approfondimento, dei rapporti tra realtà e astrazione, esperienza e concetti, linguaggio e logica. In gioco è un’intera visione del mondo fatta di innumerevoli dettagli; delinearla è l’obiettivo di questo volume. La fenomenologia dal punto di vista empirico è, alla lettera, una prospettiva in cui praticare la fenomenologia. E se è vero che l’empirismo fenomenologico corre il duplice pericolo del riduzionismo e del deduttivismo, la fenomenologia dal punto di vista empirico prova a fugarli entrambi con una teoria della coscienza colta nella sua vita quotidiana, un’analisi dell’apparenza condotta con serio buon umore e un amore modesto per la verità.

Research paper thumbnail of E. Husserl, Esperienza e giudizio.  Ricerche sulla genealogia della logica