The Whole Breadth of Reason: Rethinking Economics

 The Whole Breadth of Reason: Rethinking Economics and Politics Venice Giorgio Cini Foundation Island of San Giorgio Maggiore 14th ‐ 17th September 2011 The recent economic crisis and the rapid geo‐political transformations (including recent events in Middle East and North‐Africa) call for a re‐thinking of the notions of human reason, especially economic and political “reason”. The inadequacy of the dominant paradigms reducing economic reason to rational calculation on one side, and politics to mere realpolitik, is all too evident and has crucial ethical implications. Realism in facing crises requires more than technical, disciplinary and mechanistic approaches. Patriarch Angelo Scola suggested that the current socio‐economic and socio‐political crises find their roots in the anthropological and cultural dimensions, ultimately removing the idea of person and community being actual protagonists of the economic and political spheres (A. Scola, Buone ragioni per la vita in comune, 2010, p. 58). Being protagonists requires freedom: not only as applied to the political dimension – focussing of freedom of peoples and nations – but first of all in its inner relationship with truth. True freedom implies the freedom to adhere to truth. (A. Scola, ibidem, p. 43). The aim of the ASSET Summer School 2011 is to examine the complex links between rationality and freedom, economics and politics, exploring how best to develop and foster reasonable practices in the economy and in politics in a “wider” interdisciplinary perspective. Academics, researchers, professionals, journalists are called to reflect upon the full breadth of human experience, mind and heart, courageously overcoming narrow disciplinary perspectives. CONTENTS The aim of the ASSET Summer School 2011 is to examine the complex connections between rationality and freedom, economics and politics, exploring the best way to develop and foster reasonable practices in the economy and in politics on a “wider” interdisciplinary perspective. Participants are asked to reflect upon the full breadth of human experience, mind and heart, bravely overcoming narrow disciplinary perspectives. METHODOLOGY The Summer School is organised as follows: • Morning lectures, held by invited speakers, followed by a first round of debate with discussants and participants. • Afternoon panels aimed to the in‐depth discussion of morning lectures, presentation and floor discussion of participants’ communications and posters, selected on the basis of an international Call for Papers. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE? The Summer School is conceived as a moment of intellectual exchange and professional training. The initiative is open to: • Senior and Junior Scholars (professors, researchers, post‐grade students) • Public officers, entrepreneurs, professionals LANGUAGE: the official languages of the Summer School will be English. PARTICIPANTS AFFILIATIONS ‐
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University of California, Berkeley Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center and Tel Aviv University University of Sussex, Brighton St. Joseph University, Beirut University of Kent, Canterbury École doctorale de Théologie des Facultés de Genève, Lausanne, Friboug et Neuchâtel
St. Norbert College, De Pere
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Collège des Bernardins, Paris
‐ Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano
‐ Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione IULM,Milano
‐ Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa
‐ Università Ca’ Foscari, Venezia
‐ Università di Bergamo
‐ Università di Messina
‐ Università di Teramo
‐ Università di Torino
‐ Ordine Forense Venezia
‐ Ordine Forense Padova
PROGRAM WEDNESDAY 14TH SEPT 2011 AFTERNOON 14.45 REGISTRATION 15.15 GREETINGS OF THE AUTHORITIES Mons. Brian Edwin Ferme ‐ Rector of Studium Generale Marcianum Prof. Alberto Peratoner – Director of ASSET I SESSION – THE WHOLE BREADTH OF REASON Chair: Simona Beretta ‐ Professor of International Economics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano His E. Card. A. Scola – Archbishop of Milano VIDEO MESSAGE The Good Reasons for a Broader Reason Alva Noë ‐ Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York Why You Are Not Your Brain! 18.00 Guided tour of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini 19.30 Social Dinner at Fondazione Cini THURSDAY 15TH SEPT 2011 MORNING II SESSION – ECONOMICS AND THE CRISIS: REASONABLE STORIES OF HOW WE GOT INTO IT AND HOW WE MAY MOVE FORWARD 9.30 Chair : Mario A. Maggioni ‐ Professor of Economics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano David Schmeidler – Professor of Economics, The Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya and Tel Aviv University Rationality in Face of Uncertainty David Storey ‐ Professor of Enterprise, University of Sussex, Brighton Entrepreneurship: the Roles of Optimism and Chance 11.30 Coffee Break 11.45 Edward Hadas ‐ Economic Journalist, Financial Times and Reuters Breakingviews Economic Rationality and the Role of Economic Information 13.00 End of Session ‐ Lunch I AFTERNOON PANEL 15.00 Chair: Guido Merzoni ‐ Professor of Economics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano Facilitator: Simona Beretta ‐ Professor of International Economics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano Corrado Pasquali ‐ Assistant Professor, Università degli Studi di Teramo and Luigi Marengo ‐ Professor of Economics, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa A Theory of Power as Choice Building Matteo Amori ‐ Post‐doc Researcher, Università degli Studi di Bergamo Human Agency Between Reality and Function. Remarks on Reason in Action Roberto Burlando ‐ Associate Professor of Economic Policy, Università di Torino and Giuseppe Mastromatteo ‐ Professor of Economics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano From the Current Crisis to Renewed Approaches to Freedom and Common Good FRIDAY 16TH SEPT 2011 MORNING III SESSION –IS “REALPOLITIK” TRULY REASONABLE IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD? 9.30 Chair : Michela Sterpini – ASSET Studium Generale Marcianum, Venezia Antoine Messarra ‐ Member of the Lebanese Constitutional Council and coordinator of the Master in Islamic‐Christian relations at the Saint‐Joseph University, Beirut The Effectiveness of Socio‐Economic Policies. Problematic Compared Experiences and Prospects of Action Adrian Pabst ‐ Lecturer in Politics, University of Kent Values at Test: Implementing Subsidiarity. The “Big Society” as a Political Experiment 11.30 Coffee Break 11.45 Mathias Nebel – Maitre de Conférence à l’Institut Catholique de Paris Politics, Structures of Power and Human Freedom 13.00 End of Session ‐ Lunch II AFTERNOON PANEL 15.00 Chair: Michela Sterpini – ASSET Studium Generale Marcianum, Venezia Facilitator: Mario A. Maggioni ‐ Professor of Economics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano Paolo Monti ‐ Lecturer in Philosophy, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano Beyond Disagreement. On Pragmatist Accounts about the Relationship Between Reason and Democracy Federico Trombetta ‐ Master Student, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano Behind Trust. How Alternative Explanations of Trust Shape Our Vision of Human Beings and Communities Wolfgang Grassl ‐ Professor of Business, St. Norbert College, De Pere Pluris Valere: towards Trinitarian Rationality in Social Life SATURDAY 17TH SEPT 2011 FINAL SESSION THE WHOLE BREADTH OF ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL REASON: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT? WHICH PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS? 9.30 Chair : Simona Beretta ‐ Professor of International Economics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano Continuation of floor discussion, towards an interdisciplinary synthesis 11.00 Conclusion th
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During the days of September 15 and 16 some selected posters will be on display so that every participant will have the opportunity to talk with the presenter. Here is the list of the selected posters: Salvatore Drago ‐ Fellow Researcher, Centro Studi e Ricerche Toqueville‐Acton Reason and Religion. Re‐think Economy and Development With the Social Doctrine Church Categories Alessandra Gerolin ‐ Post‐doc Researcher, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano Eric Voegelin’s Project of a Staastlehre in Race and State: for A Wider Understanding of “Political” Reason Samuel Kimbriel ‐ Pembroke College, Cambridge University Friendship, Affinity and Political Deliberation: Lessons from Aristotele and the Gospel of John Baudoin Roger ‐ Professor of Social Morality, Collège des Bernardins, Paris The Individual, Overcoming an Anthtopological Fallacy Luca Sandonà ‐ Teaching Assistant, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano Personalist Microeconomics: Re‐thinking Economic Agency