Imagination has always been a recurring theme throughout the history of philosophy. The debate concerning its definition and functioning has resulted in a multifaceted picture, intertwining different fields such as philosophy, literary, social and political theory, art, psychology, technology, and natural sciences, to name but a few. Early modern and modern philosophers have conceived imagination as either a specific type of knowledge or a transcendental function of the subject. Contemporaneity has fruitfully met the preceding tradition while bending it towards new research horizons. Finally, the most recent debates in philosophy of science have emphasized the relation between imagination and visualization, and their epistemological role for scientific understanding and practice.

In the light of this rich tradition, the conference aims to draw a picture of the metamorphosis of the concept of imagination throughout the history of philosophy, from early modernity to contemporaneity. The first panel focuses on some paradigmatic examples of theory of imagination between the 17th and 18th century, and on their historical and philosophical contexts. The second panel gives voice to the reinterpretations of the concept of imagination throughout some of the most relevant philosophies of the 20th century. The aim of this first day is to shed light on the continuity and the ruptures between modern and contemporary theories of imagination.

Furthermore, the conference engages with the most contemporary developments of imagination by focusing on exemplary debates and problems from today’s society. The third panel investigates the manifold relations between imagination, emotions and technology, especially how affectivity links to imagination and how the latter constitutes the vital element of new discoveries and scientific transformations. Finally, the fourth panel examines the non-trivial relationship of imagination with cognition, thought experiments and scientific practice in contemporary philosophy of science, with a special emphasis on cognitive and physical sciences.