This article outlines the constitution of a disciplinary field called ‘philosophy of design’. The roots of this philosophical branch can be traced back to the one of the first theoretical consideration about the “sciences of the artificial” (Simon 1996 [1969]) – which in opposition to natural sciences should deal with non-natural entities which populates our world, namely artifacts. These considerations have been extended and discussed starting from a research program aimed at changing the route within philosophy of technology: the so (...) called “empirical turn in philosophy of technology” (Kroes, Meijers 2000). Following this, two issues have been debated in the subsequent years: the first is related to the definition of ‘design’ and to the philosophical questions that arise (like the reference of design terms and their truth-value); the second is a problem of demarcation between science and design (are these two activities different?). The aim of the article is presenting an overview of the debate and showing some possible future developments for the philosophy of design. (shrink)

The Summa Alexandrinorum is an epitome of the Nicomachean Ethics, probably composed in Late Antiquity, translated into Arabic and then into Latin by Hermannus Alemannus . The first part of the article reconstructs its history and its circulation in the Arabic and Latin worlds. The second part is an analysis of the philosophical background to the Summa, particularly the obvious influences of Peripatetic and Neoplatonic philosophy. An appendix offers an edition of an interesting part of the Summa, the so-called «seventh (...) book» , based on the most important manuscripts. (shrink)

Recensione a Maddalena Bonelli (a cura di). (2020) Filosofe Maestre Imperatrici. Per un nuovo canone della storia della filosofia antica. Roma, Edizioni di Storia e letteratura.