| 1989 XX SpoletoScienza 2008
twenty years later In July the main venture of the Sigma-tau Foundation, Spoletoscienza - an independent scientific “atelier” of the renovated Festival of the Two Worlds of Spoleto - celebrates its “first twenty years” proving its adulthood and its fundamental role, by now considered historical.It is very significant that its unconditional weight – anticipated by Spoletoscienza in the late Eighties with “A Journey into the Brain” – has found an echo in the growth of festivals and programs inspired to Science. A success due to the choice of the most modern themes and to the prestigious spokesmen that passed by (and still do) Spoletoscienza electing it as an indispensable analysis venue for scientists and intellectuals of different fields: from Oliver Sacks to Umberto Eco, from John Barrow to Roger Penrose, from Gerald Edelman to Eric Kandel, from Sebastian Matta to Ilya Prigogine. Simultaneous translation available. | Saturday, July 12
In the course of a convention entitled Science at the Twilight of the Brief Century coordinated by Hon. Prof. Mauro Ceruti, Spoletoscienza 2008 will analyse the state of knowledge held by the public opinion in the field of science as a sociological, anthropological, and scientific survey. What will take place is a comparison between the public opinion’s present perception - that seems very concerned - and the image of it in 1989, a step before the end of Hobsbawm’s brief century. The meeting will be prestigiously opened by one of the most excellent worldwide experts of the so-called “public understanding of science”, professor Martin Bauer of the London School of Economics.On the other hand, Mr. Bauer’s relation will be challenged by a round table of highly esteemed guests: the historian of science Paolo Rossi, journalist Alison Abbott, the semiologist Paolo Fabbri, as well as one of the most famous astrophysicist and science spreader, John Barrow, from England.
Sunday, July 13
With the almost sci-fi title Science at the Dawn of a New Order coordinated by Prof. Gilberto Corbellini, Spoletoscienza heads straight towards the future trying to anticipate time and describing the possible impacts and consequences of the advent of genomic science in our daily lives. A great protagonist of this new field, the geneticist Kari Stefànsson, Director of the DeCode Genetics - the man who reads the DNA of his Icelander country fellows - presents his dissertation “Impact of Genomics on Daily Life”, assisting the audience in acquiring awareness and critical judgment towards the last and surprising discoveries offered by modern science. During this second and last day of Spoletoscienza, Stefànsonn will be sided by the geneticist Edoardo Boncinelli, M. D. Daniele Cusi, the jurist Stefano Rodotà and the historian of science Pietro Corsi. |
