The roots of “second modernity” imagery. Science, Nature, Web

Aim of the course is analyzing the roots of the contemporary social imagery, focusing the attention especially su some specific aspects. In the first and in second lesson the social genesis of scientific knowledge and the different forms of scientific thought will be investigated through a long-term socio-historical approach. Particular attention will be paid to the complex issue of the delegitimization of the scientific authority, typical phenomenon of the “second modernity”. In the third and in the fourth lesson, the transformations of relationship between man and nature will be discussed. Furthermore, common sense perception about risks and causes of natural catastrophes will be used as a precious indicator of social transformations. In the last lesson digital imagery will be analysed in the light of recent developments of some “green narratives” by virtue of which the immaterial nature of digital universe it is critically challenged. The great changes produced by the accelerating process of scientific discoveries and technological innovations have led to an alteration of the relationship between human and natural sphere, which ultimately also involved the digital universe. In this sense, the purpose of the course is to provide to PhD students useful conceptual tools for understanding contemporary imagery and these very current issues.