by Matteo Morganti

(a) How many professors of philosophy are there in your country (approx.) and how many are philosophers of science?

There are around 250 full professors of philosophy in Italy at the moment. The number of philosophers of science (to be precise, logicians and philosophers of science, as these two groups are part of the same scientific division in Italy) is slightly less than 40. To these figures, one may add those who recently got the 'Abilitazione', that is, those who have been judged qualified to become full professors and may actual do so in the next five years or so –– probably around a dozen so far.

(b) How would you characterize philosophy of science in your country? For example, is it mainly general or specific (philosophy of physics, psychology, economics etc.)?

Philosophy of science has a good tradition in Italy. Until three-four decades ago, Italian philosophers of science were mostly concerned with examining the conceptual aspects of science in close connection with its history. This is something that is common in the humanities here, due to the idealistic roots of contemporary Italian philosophy and culture. (A very significant influence in that period, however, was also the Marx-inspired neo-illuministic thought of Ludovico Geymonat, possibly the first important modern-day philosopher of science in Italy.) Logic has also been historically quite strong. More recently, however, also due to the fact that there are more international exchanges and a growing number of people who study abroad, the situation has become more diversified. While general philosophy of science - with and without a direct link with the history of science - remains central, more specific studies have begun. First, I would say, in the philosophy of biology and of artificial intelligence/cybernetics, then in the philosophical analysis of physics, of mathematics, psychology and the cognitive sciences broadly understood. Interest in the metaphysics of science is also growing. If anything, the philosophy of the social sciences is perhaps a bit less popular in Italy at the moment - but this may just be my perception.

(c) What are the possibilities and chances in your country for external funding in philosophy of science?

The Italian Ministry for University and Research allocates resources for research projects more or less on a regular basis. These resources are, however, constantly decreasing, so it is becoming progressively more difficult for researchers to get funds to carry out their work. Especially so in the humanities, as other third-party funding (e.g., private agencies, industry) is definitely more directed towards the natural sciences and, in general, those sort of studies that appear relevant for technology, application, production etc. This is not a peculiarity of Italy, I guess, since the ‘third mission’ idea and the Horizon 2020 guidelines are now becoming the rule throughout Europe. Other chances are quite limited: some regions (i.e. Sardinia) have special resources and calls for projects, open to local researchers; and some Universities, every now and then, organise their own small-scale calls (an evaluation is currently ongoing in my University, for example). But, again, this translates into a quite restricted amount of resources for philosophers. And of course there are the ERC-related calls. European funding is notoriously difficult to get, however, and Italian philosophers (as opposed to, say, physicists or mathematicians) still lack not only the habit but often also the supporting infrastructure needed to produce truly competing applications.

(d) Is there in your country a society for philosophers of science and if so, what are its activities?

The SILFS, the Italian Society for Logic and the Philosophy of Science, is quite an important one among Italian scientific societies. It was founded in 1951 and, since then, has been the means for philosophers of science to get together, organise conferences and workshops, advertise doctoral programmes and jobs, and also communicate with other philosophical societies in Italy and philosophy of science societies abroad.  Last but not least, as with all scientific societies in Italy, the SILFS has historically had a 'political' role, acting as a mediating entity between individual logicians and philosophers of science and representative/deliberative organisms at various levels –– most importantly, the government as the only official employer in the Italian university system. As far as scientific activities are concerned, the triennial conference of the SILFS is probably the most important event in the philosophy of science in Italy, as it attracts many people - including noteworthy researchers from abroad -, and is generally of a rather good quality. Recently, the society has become even more active, thanks to the excellent work of presidents such as Mauro Dorato, Giovanna Corsi and currently Roberto Giuntini (and of the various members of the SILFS governing board, of course). The SILFS has, for instance, recently become part of the Division of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology of the Union of History and Philosophy of Science, organized prizes for the best PhD theses and the best work in logic, promoted and sponsored several workshops and conferences including official SILFS conferences and postgraduate meetings, and contributed to the (difficult!) start of a process of research quality assessment in Italian universities, in particular by evaluating and classifying logic and philosophy of science journals.