Dr. Lorenzo Magnani
Lorenzo Magnani, Ph.D., Dr.h.c. is a distinguished philosopher with expertise in cognitive science, logic, and the philosophy of science. He earned his degree in Philosophy from the University of Pavia in 1976 and completed a specialization equivalent to a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the same institution in 1980.
Lorenzo has since gone on to hold numerous prestigious academic positions, notably Founder and Director of the Computational Philosophy Laboratory at the University of Pavia (now retired), Professor at the University of Pavia, and visiting professorships at prestigious institutions such as Baruch College, Carnegie Mellon University, City University of New York, Georgia Institute of Technology and Sun Yat-sen University. His work explores topics such as morality and technology, violence, and delves into the interplay between science and human values. Read Model-based reasoning: Science, Technology, Values.
Lorenzo's achievements have earned him international recognition, including the prestigious Doctor Honoris Causa from Stefan Cel Mare University in Romania, in recognition of his groundbreaking interdisciplinary contributions to computational philosophy, logic, philosophy of science, semiotics, and ethics.
He was also elected as a full member of the Académie Internationale de Philosophie in 2019, and received an award commemorating the 50th anniversary of the re-establishment of the Philosophy Department at Sun Yat-sen University, in honor of his achievements and work in the areas of philosophy of science, logic, and cognitive science.
In addition to his research, Lorenzo has been heavily involved in co-chairing conferences on Model Based Reasoning and Computational Philosophy since 1986. Most recently he co-chaired the International Conference on Model-Based Reasoning: Abductive Cognition, Creativity, and Inferences in Science, Logic, Language, and Technology in 2023.
Lorenzo was an International Member of AppEEL at the University of Lisbon (2020–2024) and served as a Committee Member of the Italian Society for Logic and the Philosophy of Science (2014–2017). He is an active committee member of the Centro di Scienze Cognitive e Sistemiche in Pavia since 1996 and was a Committee Member of the Center of Cognitive Science at the University of Pavia from 1994 to 2013. He has also contributed to the International Conferences on Agents and Artificial Intelligence as a committee member. Watch AppEEL Webinar #11 – Fabio Paglieri, Lorenzo Magnani, Selene Arfini, Bárbara Jiménez Pazos.
He has been active in fostering international academic cooperation through his work as a facilitator and a coordinator between the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Pavia.
In 2003–2004, he managed activities under the CUNY-ITALY Exchange, linking the University of Pavia with The City University of New York/Baruch College. Additionally, from 2004 to 2013, he coordinated research partnerships between Zhongshan University and the Central University for Nationalities in China, funded by Fondazione Cariplo and the University of Pavia.
Lorenzo maintains esteemed memberships in numerous professional associations, including: SILFS (Italian Society of Logic and Philosophy of Science), Cognitive Science Society, PSA (Philosophy of Science Association), SFI (Italian Society of Philosophy), AIIA (Italian Association for Artificial Intelligence), AAAI (American Association for Artificial Intelligence), and APA (American Philosophical Association). Additionally, he is an Honorary Member of ARFIT (Romanian Association of Philosophy, Engineering, and Technoethics).
Watch Abduction, Models, Creativity: The Centrality of Eco-Cognitive Openness, Lorenzo Magnani.
Read Eco-Cognitive Computationalism. Cognitive Domestication of Ignorant Entities, Morality in a Technological World: Knowledge as Duty, and Abductive Cognition: The Epistemological and Eco-Cognitive Dimensions of Hypothetical Reasoning.
Stay connected with his impactful work by checking out his ResearchGate page, personal website, YouTube page, Wikipedia profile, or by following him on X.