Balzan’s international Symposium, “Truth, in the Humanities, Science and Religion", took place at the Auditorium of the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano.
See Tv news TS1 "il quotidiano" (Real Player, Italian) broadcasted by RTSI Radiotelevisione svizzera on May 16.
Intellectuals from diverse philosophical, religious and scientific areas participated in an intense 2-day event to discuss one of the central questions within contemporary cultural debate, with alternating lectures and panel discussions according to this programme:
Friday, may 16
11:00 a.m. opening session
Addresses of Welcome:
Giorgio Giudici, Mayor of Lugano
Piero Martinoli, President of the Università della Svizzera italiana
Bruno Bottai, Chairman of the Board of the International Balzan “Prize” Foundation
Introduction and Chair:
Sergio Romano, Chairman of the General Prize Committee of the International Balzan “Prize” Foundation
Keynote Lecture: Truth and Ourselves: the Elusive Last Word by Simon Blackburn, Cambridge
1:30 p.m. Philosophy session
Chair: Salvatore Veca
Speaker: Emanuele Severino Truth, Contradiction, Nihilism
Panel: Simon Blackburn, Pascal Engel, Karlheinz Stierle, Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Emanuele Severino
3:30 p.m. Mathematics - Physics - Cosmology session
Chair: Per Olof Lindblad
Speakers:
Yuri Manin Truth as a Value and Duty: Lessons of Mathematics
Bengt Gustafsson Thoughts on Truth in Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Panel: Paolo de Bernardis, Bengt Gustafsson, Kai Hauser, Yuri Manin
Saturday, may 17
8:30 a.m. Biological sciences - Biodiversity - Sustainability session
Chair: Nicole Le Douarin
Speakers:
Jean-Pierre Changeux Is the Brain the Organ of Truth?
Robert McCredie May Science as Organised Scepticism, with Illustrations from Environmental Problems
Panel: Marco Baggiolini, Jean-Pierre Changeux, Robert McCredie May
10:45 a.m. History - Social Sciences session
Chair: M.E.H. Nicolette Mout
Speakers:
Quentin Skinner Truth and Explanation in History
Dominique Schnapper Cultural Relativism: Meaning and Limits
Panel: Mauro Baranzini, Dominique Schnapper, Quentin Skinner, Keith Thomas
2:00 p.m. Theology - Religion session
Chair: Sergio Romano
Speakers:
Georges Marie Martin Cottier Faith and Truth
Mohammed Arkoun Violence, the Sacred, and Regimes of Truth
Geza Vermes The Truth About the Historical Jesus
Panel: Mohammed Arkoun, Jan Assmann, Georges Marie Martin Cottier, Brian Hebblethwaite, Geza Vermes
4:00 p.m. concluding session
Chair: Werner Stauffacher
Synthesis: “Truth”: Common Themes? by John Richard Krebs and Simon Blackburn
Closing remarks: Bruno Bottai and Achille Casanova