International Conference "From the Aesthetic Mind to the Symbolic Mind. Perceptual Dynamics, Mimetic Practices, Human Theatricality": topics.

The international conference "From the Aesthetic Mind to the Symbolic Mind. Perceptual Dynamics, Mimetic Practices, Human Theatricality" inscribes itself into a series of International Conferences held in past years at the Department of Lettere e Filosofia. These Conferences, organized by Fabrizio Desideri in partnership with the on-line journal "Aisthesis”, were mainly focused on the intersection between aesthetics and contemporary science in an interdisciplinary research perspective.  Among them may be mentioned the following Conferences:  "Aesthetic preferences, language games and forms of life: from Ludwig Wittgenstein" (in January 2013), "The Aesthetic Mind and the Origin of Art" (in January 2014), "Ways of Imitation" (in November 2015).

The conference scheduled for 26-28 October in connection with the Competition Acri for 16 young researchers aims at renewing and reviving the international debate around the notions of "aesthetic mind", "mimetic practices", "theatricality", and the intimate relationship among them.

Among the main issues at the heart of the Conference:

1. The origins of a symbolic mind from an evolutionary point of view;
2. The relevance of the first human artefacts for the understanding of the human mind as an aesthetic mind (from the aesthetic to the symbolic mind from an archaeological point of view);
3. From perceiving to having an aesthetic experience: the cognitive implication of the aesthetic attitude;
4. The psychobiological underpinnings of the aesthetic and artistic practices;
5. The relationship among "mimetic practices", "human theatricality" and "aesthetic mind"