The paper makes a contribution to the study of female figures in late Neoplatonism and to the analysis of the intersections between pagan and Christian theology in Late Antiquity. It focuses on a specific case study: the myth of Athena’s birth from the head of Zeus. The first section examines its Hellenistic and Late Antique interpretations, by especially highlighting the differences between Porphyry’s exegesis and Proclus’ one. The second and third sections are devoted to Julian’s works: the emperor attributes fundamental metaphysical functions to Athena, and also reacts to the instrumental use of the goddess’ birth made by Christians. Through a careful choice of words Julian succeeds in transforming Athena into a “Christ-like figure”, directly opposed to the Christian Logos.

Neoplatonism, Female Goddesses, Athena, Julian, Pagan-Christian Polemic.

This paper offers a critical analysis of Commentary on the Orphic Hymns by Matteo Tafuri, a sixteenth-century philosopher and physician, situating his work within the broader framework of Renaissance natural philosophy. Far from being a merely exegetical text, the Commentary elaborates a complex conception of nature as a vital, intelligent, and ordering principle, shaped by a wide range of philosophical traditions—including Aristotelian physics, Platonic and Neoplatonic metaphysics, Stoic theology, and Hermetic-Orphic thought. His reinterpretation of the Orphic corpus contributes to redefining the epistemological and ontological status of nature, offering one of the most sophisticated expressions of a scientia naturalis that integrates metaphysical, magical, and symbolic dimensions.

Matteo Tafuri, Nature, Renaissance Natural Philosophy, Orphic Tradition, Neoplatonism.

This paper analyses the strategies adopted to address political uncertainty by several major late medieval political thinkers. It focuses on: 1) Thomas Aquinas’ treatment of whether, and when, it is appropriate to overthrow a tyrant; 2) Marsilius of Padua’s conception of peace as a precarious and fragile condition that must be defended daily amid the relative insecurity that characterises every human society; 3) John Wyclif’s doctrine of grace-based dominium and his ecclesiology, which require seeking stable points of reference by which to formulate valid assessments about who holds genuine lordship and the composition of the true church; and 4) John Fortescue’s analysis of the economic impact of different forms of government, grounded in the conviction that people’s economic security is better protected in a «political and royal» constitutional regime – that is, a temperate monarchy.

Uncertainty, Tyranny, Peace, Invisible Church, Property Rights.

The article aims to point out that when we speak of Tolstoy’s religiosity as an essentially ethical enterprise, and in this sense indebted to Rousseau’s moral theory, must not lose sight of the sense of political struggle implicit in his reading of the Gospels. The aim of Ethics concerns individual transformation, whereas Tolstoy’s last work (the last thirty years of his life, 1880-1910, which also include Resurrection) is against the army, the police, the death penalty, the prison system, private property, the official church and the distance between classes.

Autobiography, Moral Theory, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Tsarist Russia, Tchernychevski.

In this article, I start from the theoretical contribution of Cuban anthropologist Fernando Ortiz, who first formulated the term «transculturation» to allude to both the condition of uprooting African slaves in Cuba and the plural identity of the Cuban people. Through this comparison, I elaborate on the identity/difference dialectic in Antonio Gramsci to highlight the function of the intellectuals and education in constructing a new intercultural hegemony. In conclusion, I present a comparison with some moments of the contemporary intercultural debate, in order to identify a new horizon of intersubjectivity in what I call «progressive transcultural community».

Fernando Ortiz, Antonio Gramsci, Identity, Transculturality, Progressive community.

This paper explores Henry Richardson’s model of specification as an alternative procedure to application and balancing of principles for addressing ethical problems, especially bioethical issues. Instead of resolving practical conflicts on the basis of abstract principles or intuitive balancing, the concept of specification is designed to supplement the general pragmatic approach by setting conditions on the relationship between the original norm and any modifications, showing how the original norms are respected also in the specified form. While it is a useful tool forclarifying prima facie tensions, it proves less effective in addressing hard-case conflicts between fundamental principles.

Henry Richardson, Specification, Balancing, Moral Reasoning, Hard Cases.

The first obstacle to the possibility of creating a substitute digital justice system, in which software judges replace human judges, is the anthropocentric approach of our legal system. Is this a valid objection? But first of all, is AI intelligence? Could it prove to be an antagonist to humans? And then, what kind of anthropocentrism is sustainable today? Does traditional self-referential anthropocentrism still hold up in the face of the discovery of human animality and the digital revolution in society? Analyzed in light of the AInimal Revolution, the hypothesis of a substitute digital justice raises questions that challenge the very foundations of the functioning of our judicial system and, even before that, our conception of law itself and fundamental human rights.

Digital Law, Digital Justice, AI, Exogenous Anthropocentrism, Intelligence, Fundamental Human Rights.