We are happy to invite you to our open lecture on May 26th 2025 from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm CET.

The open lecture is born to be a safe and friendly space for every student who wants to have a taste of one of our classes. The Master in Philosophy is glad to welcome you with the help of Prof. Achille Varzi and his lecture “Ontology: Material vs. Formal”.

Here is the abstract of the lecture:

"There are two main ways, philosophically, of characterizing the business of ontology. On one account, made popular by Quine, ontology is concerned with the material question of what there is. On the other, which made its way into our times through Brentano and his pupils, especially Husserl, ontology is concerned with the task of laying bare the formal structure of all there is, whatever it is. In this lecture, we will first of all try to be clear about this distinction. Then we shall address the question of how material and formal ontology relate to each other. Particularly, we shall focus on whether one can pursue one sort of inquiry without also engaging in the other—whether, or to what extent, the tasks of material ontology presuppose the backing of some formal-ontological theory, and whether or to what extent formal ontology can be, in the material sense of the term, ontologically neutral.”

Open lectures are held on campus for philosophy students and on Zoom for everyone. To attend either in presence or online, please register by filling out the form on this page: https://join.usi.ch/en/master-philosophy-open-lecture

If you choose to attend the lecture remotely, we will send you an email to the Zoom meeting a couple of hours before the event. Alternatively, if you prefer to join us on campus, please arrive 20 minutes early for check-in.

The lecture will not be recorded! Don’t miss the opportunity to learn about ontolgy with Professor Achille Varzi!

If you wish to know more about our Master in Philosophy, visit www.usi.ch/map