The Italian Science Fund (FIS) of Italy’s Ministry of University and Research has announced the winners of its latest round of multi-million euro grants, and several philosophers are among the recipients.

They and their projects are:

Silvia De Toffoli (IUSS Pavia)

Humanizing Mathematical Knowledge: Fallibility, Technology, Know-How
The project investigates mathematical knowledge from an innovative perspective, highlighting its human dimension and, in particular, its historical and practical aspects. It explores the fallibility of mathematical knowledge, the essential role of notations and diagrams in knowledge acquisition, and the impact of computational tools and artificial intelligence on mathematical practice. (€1.6 Million)

Francesco Guala with co-investigator John Michael (University of Milan)

The Normative Roots of Social Kinds
We will study social kinds—‘folk’ and scientific—that are simultaneously real and normative. We are interested in understanding how norms and values play important epistemic roles in stabilising behaviour and facilitating inferences across social properties. Using methods of cognitive neuroscience, cross-cultural and comparative psychology, we will also investigate the cognitive and social mechanisms which underpin social normativity. A key working hypothesis is that kinds facilitate coordination by providing cues and signals that modulate normative attitudes and expectations in joint action contexts. (€2 million)

Federico Faroldi  (University of Pavia)

Generic Reasoning
The project investigates how a single significant instance may support general conclusions, with possible exceptions being tolerated. It considers examples in normative reasoning, natural and social sciences, and mathematics and recent AI models to build a theory of generic reasoning based on truthmaker semantics. (€1.3 million)

Carlo Martini (Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan)

Demarcation for Dummies
The project will revisit the problem of demarcation between science and pseudoscience, starting from the problem of disinformation. Disinformation is a widely debated topic, but the connection between disinformation and pseudoscience is not, despite much disinformation resulting from a combination of: 1) non-experts impersonating experts in some fields of science, and 2) laypeople’s inability to distinguish between experts and pseudo-experts. There is a lively debate as to why people believe disinformation: Are they stupid? Is motivated reasoning to blame? Are there other factors? The project starts from the observation that we are unfortunately hard-wired to believe both science and pseudoscience, but our inability to distinguish science from pseudoscience opens us up to believing false and often damaging information. Thus, the problem of demarcation is a very practical one, and, as such, it should be made clear for dummies; that is, for those people without specialised knowledge. The project will develop a new experimental focus on demarcation and disinformation, bringing randomised online and field experiments to young adults in secondary education. (€1.5 million)

Luca Zanetti (IUSS Pavia)

Severe Uncertainty: Decisions, Evidence, and Probability
The project will develop an innovative framework for understanding non-quantifiable uncertainty by integrating perspectives from the philosophy of science, formal and social epistemology, and decision theory. The project has three main goals: to interpret Knightian uncertainty using intersubjective probabilities, to articulate a new conception of risk and uncertainty as collective attitudes, and to explore new strategies for managing severe uncertainty in decision-making. (€1.3 million)

You can learn more about the FIS grants here.