Courtesy: Claudia Peppel
N. XXXIX, 2024
edited by Xenia Chiaramonte, Antonio Lucci
The selection of a singular case study, a pivotal moment in scientific research across the humanities and applied and experimental sciences, is far from a neutral decision. It not only shapes subsequent research but also serves as the initial step towards generalization, aiming to transcend the analysis of the individual case to yield generalizable outcomes.
The question of the “casuistic” method, understood in the broad sense just outlined, is the guiding thread of this special issue of Lo Sguardo, which aims to be structured along two main axes:
- The first axis aims to develop an investigation of a historical nature, reconstructing and developing the debates on the concept of casuistry that have developed in discourses that have most used this method, in particular, theology, law, and medicine. This will be done from a perspective of the history of philosophy, as well as the history of knowledge and science. These disciplines, indeed, albeit in different ways, have been interested in the relationship between the singular and the universal, as well as the possibility of deriving universal (or at least general) laws from the analysis of singularity. The relationship between individual conduct and general rules, the possibility of elevating considerations stemming from the analysis of individual cases to general law, and the feedback effects of norms on individual cases are just some of the themes that have animated discussions relating to this particular methodology. The contributions planned for this section should aim at reconstructing particular debates, contexts, and controversies that have animated authors who have used the casuistic methodology.
- The second axis aims to develop a more theoretical-methodological investigation concerning the developments that modern casuistic discourses have had in the contemporary debate, as well as the current reflection that involves transformations and reconsiderations of the term “case” (think of the attention given to concepts such as “paradigm” and “example” by authors such as Blumenberg, Melandri, Agamben, Jolles), the methodological problem of the relationship between the singular event and the universal theoretical aspiration. The issue concerns the material conditions and expository methods of contemporary philosophy. In particular, philosophical research (and humanities in general) is today more than ever called upon to confront demands for adaptation to expository and methodological frameworks proper to the natural sciences to gain recognition and material resources. Sections dedicated to research methodologies are present in all significant funding models, whether they are from universities or non-university funding bodies. This condition makes it urgent to reflect on one’s working methods and the criteria for selecting adopted case studies. Contributions invited for this second axis should address methodological issues that place the relationship between the contingency of the individual case and the normative/universalizing aspiration implicit in every scientific attempt at the center of their reflection.
LANGUAGES ACCEPTED: ITALIAN, ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH, GERMAN
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS: 31/10/2024
How to submit: Send the article, complete in all its parts and edited according to the editorial standards of the journal, through the OJS editorial platform of Lo Sguardo by selecting the appropriate call under “Section”:
https://editorial.losguardo.net/ojs/index.php/LS/about/submissions
Submissions will undergo double-blind peer review. The entire submission and selection process of submissions will take place through the aforementioned OJS platform.
Xenia Chiaramonte, Antonio Lucci
redazione@losguardo.net | callforpapers@losguardo.net
