Objective
Medieval philosophical and scientific language, for many centuries and across different traditions, has been overcrowded with entities and scenarios that are – or were thought to be – fictitious or utterly impossible. These are entities like chimeras, flying men, golden mountains, but also atoms, infinite lines, bodies moving in a void space or at an infinite speed. Incorporating these impossibilities in standard theories of inference, showing how impossible statements can be manageable through valid reasoning while producing interesting conclusions, is one of the greatest achievements of the medieval thought.
FICTA proposes an innovative, comparative and interdisciplinary approach to investigate the notion of impossibility and its epistemic value in medieval logic, philosophy and science. The project’s main aim is to systematically assess the various ways in which philosophers and scientists in the medieval and post-medieval period theorized the use of counterpossible reasoning – that is, reasoning involving entities, assumptions or scenarios that are physically, metaphysically, or logically impossible. The project also aims to explore the parallels between these historical developments and the thriving contemporary debate related to the use of impossibility, fiction and imagination for epistemic purposes.
FICTA’s approach will cross disciplinary boundaries, intersecting the history of medieval and postmedieval logic, medieval literature and art; the history of medieval and early-modern science, and contemporary logic and epistemology.
The project’s guiding questions will be the following: How can we obtain new knowledge by starting from impossible assumptions? Which role do impossible entities and impossible assumptions have in the (history of) sciences and in our epistemic endeavor?
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
43121 PARMA
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.