Stefano Parmigiani

1. Stefano Parmigiani DepartmentofNeuroscience Universityof Parma Co-directorof the International SchoolofEthology Ettore MajoranaFoundation and CentreforScientific Culture

2. 30th workshop Cetacean echolocation  and outer space neutrinos: ethology and physics for an interdisciplinary approach to underwater bioacoustics and astrophysical particles detection multidisciplinarity (a chracteristic feature not only of the School under my direction but of the Centre). Introducing the EttoreMajorana Centre its origin and purposes

3. The Ettore MajoranaFoundation and CentreforScientific Culture (EMFCSC) • The Centre was founded in 1962 by the Italian physicist prof. AntoninoZichichi .The EMFCSC is named after an outstanding Italian physicist. Born in Sicily in 1906, Ettore Majorana gave exceptional contributions to theoretical nuclear physic. Enrico Fermi consideredhim a geniouslike Galilei and Newton. Since its’ founding, thisCentre (now embracing 123 Schools) has represented an important meeting place for scientists from all over the world.

4. The first schoolswerededicatedtophysics Ancientbuildings, now part of the ‘Ettore Majorana’ Centre are dedicatedtogreatscientists and supportersof the Centre • The San Francesco Monasteryisnow the Eugene P. WignerInstitutewith the ‘Enrico Fermi’ Lecture Hall. • The San Domenico Monasteryisnow the Patrick M.S. BlackettInstitutewith the ‘Paul A.M. Dirac’s Lecture Hall.(we are here)

5. From the Seminars on NuclearWarsto the International Seminars on PlanetaryEmergencies(everyyearfrom 18-25 August scientistsmeettodiscusstopicsrelatedto the 63 identifiedPlanetaryEmergencies i.e. Pollution, energy, climatechanges water supply, nuclearwaist, terrorismetc). • In 1981 nuclearscientistsfromantagonistspoliticalsystems ( eg USA and ex-Soviet Union) had the opportunitytomeet in Erice todiscuss and propose solutionabout the planetaryemergencyposedby the threatofnuclearwars (Seminars on nuclearwars). • Now: International Seminars on PlanetaryEmergencies

6. ERICE STATEMENT: “Science withoutsecrets and borders….” 1982 International Seminars on Nuclear War with the adoptionof the Erice Statmentsignedalsoby Paul Dirac The father of the Theorem of Time, Professor Eugene Wigner (on the left in the photo) and Professor Paul Dirac (on the right in the photo), father of the equation which brought to Antimatter, with Antonino Zichichi.

7. Paul Dirac’ s“serendipity”: the uniqueness and power of the human mind These thoughts, that are very important to understand the spirit and effort of Erice Centre and its schools for the advancement ofknowledge, have been stimulated by a plenarylectureby the President Antonino Zichichi at the International SeminarsPlanetaryEmergencies Why the Dirac’s equationisshown on the front desk of S. Domenico lecture hall instead, for example, of the famous Einstein’s equation ? “ I wasselecting a physicalproblemexpressed in a non relativisticform and triedto “translate” into the realativityprinciple. Itwaslikeplayingand sometimes the outcomingresultwasintriguing”(P.Dirac) With his equation Dirac succesfully combined the essential aspects of relativity and quantum theory (the two great theories of the XX century). The unespected : the equationrevealed “ negative energy” valuethatwithastonishinggenialityleadhimto the conceptof antielectron and antimatter . “The greatvalueof a scientific idea isitscapacityofstimulatingthinking and open newfrontiersofresearch”(P.Dirac)

8. The human mind iscapableofthinkingaboutthingsthat do notfall under oursenses The huge intellectual achievement of Paul Dirac is unprecedented in the history of science: when Galilei studied the way stones run along an inclined plane, the stones were there: when Einstein succeeded in his great synthesis he could see space-time, mass-energy where there and in front of everybody’s eyes: but when Dirac started to think of the existence of the antielectron and of antimatter, nothing of this sort was around(A.Zichichi, 1990) This remind us as scientists: 1) the power and limits of the methodological reductionism (that we use successfully while designing experiments to test hypotheses) 2) to avoid the ontological reductionism.(i.e. all we can see and measure is enough to understand the complexity of nature). The 123 schools are a testimonial of the multidisciplinary and “ holistic” approach encouraged by the EMFCSC to different field of human knowledge

9. International SchoolofEthology • The International School of Ethology is one the 123 schools of the EttoreMajorana Centre. The distinctive feature and scope of the workshop from a conference can be understood by the words of AntoninoZichichi:“At Erice, those who come to follow a School are called ‘students’ because they come to Erice to learn about the new problems. What is distinctive for Erice is the spirit animating all participants: students no less than teachers. The prime objective is to learn".The student listens to the lectures but also have a chance to mingle and discuss with the scientists, such as over lunch and dinner and excursion where they can ask questions and continue the discussion

10. Some earlier workshops 1987 House Mouse Aggression(withP.Brain-Swansea)-JP Scott with us 1988 Ethology & Psychobiology of Fear and Defence(withR.Blanchard -Hawaii) 1990 Protection and Abuse of Young in Animals and Man (with F.vom Saal-Missouri )( Infaticide and Parental Care book) 1994 Underwater bioacustics: behavioural and environmental and evolutionary perspectives (Torricelli, Pavan, Lugli) 1998Ethology & Biomedical Research (with R.Nesse Michigan & J.Rodgers Leeds) 2002Impact of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC)on brain development and Behavior(T.Colborn & F.vom Saal) -After this workshop AntoninoZichichi invited me to the International Seminars and ,together with Fred vomSaal , included as a member of the permanent panel of pollution of Planetary Emergencies

11. 2003 Social stress: impact on physiology and Behavior(with J.Koohlas-Netherlands) 2009 The Primate Mind: built to connect with other minds(P.Ferrari & F.de Waal) 2011The Obese Species: preclinical and clinical studies for understanding eating and balancy energy disorders ( A. Bartolomucci, J.Rodgers and my first workshop as co-director of the School) 2012 Mirrorneurons :20 yearsafterdiscovery( Ferrari et al )

12. Erice 17-22 June 2012 Directors of the workshop Frans de Waal(Emory University, Atlanta, USA)Telmo Pievani(University of MIiano-Bicocca, Italy) Stefano Parmigiani(University of Parma, Italy)Hosted by Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific CultureInternational School of Ethology Erice, Sicily, ItalyPresident of the Center: Prof. A. Zichichi Directors of the School: Prof. Danilo Mainardi, Prof. Stefano Parmigiani •  www.evolutionofmorality.it

13. The Evolution of morality workshop explored the biological roots of morality and conscience at an interdisciplinary level including evolutionary biologists, behavioural biologists (ethologists), anthropologists, psychologists, neuroscientist, philosophers and theologians.A special issue of the journal Behaviour entitled “Evolved morality: the biology and philosophy of human conscience” containing the papers presented during the workshop will be published soon

14. Paragonofanimalsirrelevant the human scientists proclaims that animals are irrelevant to the study of human beings and that there is no such thing as a universal human nature. The consequence is that science, so coldly successful at dissecting DNA, has proved spectacularly inept at tackling what the philosopher David Hume called the greater question of all: why is human nature what it is?” Matt Ridley “ The Red Queen: sex and the evolution of human nature” (1993)

15. Future workshops 2013-31st workshop Ungulate Management in the World with an European Perspective (Apollonio et al.) 2014-32nd  workshop Neuroeconomics: Recent advances and future directions (Maestripieri et al. 2014 -33rd workshop What made us human? Biological and cultural Evolution of Homo sapiens (Parmigiani, Pievani , Tattersall a possible follow up of the evolution of morality “Ethology of sacred and rituals: the origin of religious mind”

16. SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES ARE NOT TWO THINGS BUT TWO SIDES OF THE SAME THING (T.H.Huxley) The EMFCSC is a worldwiderecognizedprestigiousfoudationcapableofstimulatingideas and collaborationbetween people withdifferent expertise (rangingfrom science tohumanities). Consequentlythisforewordtoinitiate the workshop of the Schoolwantstobeanexpressionofprofoundgratitudeto the founder and presidentof the Centre prof. Antonino Zichichi for the energy, enthusiasm and stamina hehasdevotedto the realizationof the Ettore MajoranaCentre.