TECHNIQUES OF SOLITUDE: FROM ASCETICS TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
FBK Aula Piccola
Fondazione Bruno Kessler - Polo delle Scienze Umane e sociali
Aula Piccola
FBK Aula Piccola
Fondazione Bruno Kessler - Polo delle Scienze Umane e sociali
Aula Piccola
Taking Thomas Macho’s theory of “techniques of solitude” as its point of departure, this paper challenges the conventional view of solitude as a mere absence of the Other. If the subject originates from a primary, pre-individual “we” and retains an intrinsically dual structure, being alone means establishing a relationship with oneself as one would with another.
This relationship, however, is never immediate: it relies on techniques and material supports to symbolically structure the experience of solitude. From the practices of ancient ascetics and anchorites to reading, writing, and on to contemporary digital devices, the history of solitude is also a history of media. Yet, modern technologies introduce a decisive shift: rather than simply mediating our internal dialogue, they offer real-time feedback and allow us to inhabit hyper-connected communities while remaining physically isolated.
This presentation extends this genealogy to artificial intelligence, asking what happens when the device is no longer merely a support or channel toward other subjects, but itself takes on the dialogical form of an interlocutor.
ANTONIO LUCCI | University of Torino
Cycle of Seminars: “Solitude and Communion in Religion and Ethics“
Scientific coordination: Massimo Leone, FBK-ISR
The event will be in-person in the FBK Aula Piccola, while seats last, and online, and it will be held in Italian.
Registration by October 16, 2026 at 12:00 a.m. is required to arrange the connection.
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Image: AdobeStock_518968971
Speakers
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Antonio Lucci - SpeakerUniversity of TorinoAntonio Lucci is a Senior Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) in Moral Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences at the University of Turin, where he also serves as Director of EraTo (Ethical Research Center on Anthropology and Technology – Turin). He has held teaching and research positions at numerous international institutions, including the Freie Universität Berlin, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Forschungsinstitut für Philosophie Hannover (FIPH), the Internationales Forschungszentrum Kulturwissenschaften (IFK) in Vienna, the Zeppelin Universität Friedrichshafen, and the Excellence Cluster TOPOI. His most recent books include "La stella ascetica. Ascesi e soggettivazione in Friedrich Nietzsche" (Inschibboleth, 2020) and "True Detective. Una filosofia del negativo" (Il Melangolo, 2019).
Registration
Registration to this event is mandatory.
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Organizers
The initiative was also realized thanks to the contribution of "Direzione generale Educazione, ricerca e istituti culturali" of the Ministry of Culture.