RISULTATI RICERCA

Il saggio mira a individuare e delucidare alcuni nessi causali tra il concomitante incremento dei fenomeni depressivi, non solo in senso strettamente clinico, e l’affermazione del nuovo modello capitalistico avvenuti nei paesi occidentali dai primi anni settanta ad oggi. Oltre che sul meccanismo della flessibilità del mercato del lavoro, si insiste in particolare sulle dinamiche paradossali delle istanze etiche e morali della nuova configurazione ideologica. Ricorrendo anche alla categoria di egemonia, vengono da ultimo approntati degli strumenti teorici finalizzati a riattivare i potenziali emancipativi frustrati nella sofferenza sociale di natura depressiva e regressiva.

The Enlightenment critique of the esprit de système and its tendency towards eclecticism have often been interpreted as symptoms of speculative shallowness. The article analyses the origins of this prejudice, with special reference to the early French Enlightenment (1700-1750). It then attempts to counter such a preconception by providing a relevant counterexample. The case study presented is that of Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis, usually considered a typical instance of the anti-systematic proto-positivist philosophe. In discussing his philosophy, epistemological and cosmological issues in particular are emphasized, showing how Maupertuis’ thoroughly empiricist theory of knowledge led him to apply mathematics to all domains of human knowledge in order to reduce their uncertainty. It is concluded that Maupertuis is the author of a rich and interesting work, which brings some novelty to the philosophical scene of his own times, if not to the whole history of modern philosophy.

The paper argues that punctuation far from being a rule of thumb operation (a) relies heavily on syntactic awareness, and (b) either permits or requires a creative usage. As a general background to the discussion, two principles are proposed which underlie the rules and practice of punctuation (Parsing Criterion, and ‘Consistency Criterion’). Some critical cases are examined, which lead to the notion of cognitive opacity in syntax. Some other cases are brought to attention which illustrate to what extent syntactic awareness is in order to produce good punctuation. Finally, some aspects are discussed which demand a genuinely creative usage of punctuation, either related to stylistic variation (tempo of reading) or to some domains of syntax which are apart from any known dogma or practice. As for the educational implications, evidence from punctuation strongly confirms that written language is not learnt as spontaneously as spoken language is, and that improvement in (and therefore the teaching of) linguistic awareness is a key requirement for good writing. Keywords written language, punctuation, parsing, consistency, creativity