Maria S. Picone

I’m interested in many topics in philosophy, starting with the pre-Socratics, meandering through—yes, through, not over—the Middle Ages, and ending up in the early modern period. For most problems, this interest continues through the modern period up to the present day; for others, such as evil, the soul, God, and certain idealist questions, this interest ends here (but possibly has contemporary analogues). I eschew both history for history’s sake and progress for progress’ sake. I consider myself a metaphysician, although I’m most interested in how (ontological) metaphysics influences questions in other philosophical areas and how language (broadly construed) intersects with theory. A lot of my interest in historical figures stems from how they apply their systems to certain questions based on the underlying character thereof. In contemporary philosophy this interest becomes a gateway to several topics, including metaontology, time, the interaction between perception and existence, material constitution, and consciousness.

If metaphysics is indeed “bad poetry”, then feel free to lump me in with the esteemed William McGonagall.

I’m also interested in the philosophy of mathematics, from its Platonic roots in the Meno and the Parmenides, through a largely undiscussed corpus of Neoplatonic texts, and right up to the present day’s debates over the difference between truth and proof, the philosophical ‘meaning’ of the Incompleteness Theorems, the nature of infinity and Cantor’s paradise, and the schools of mathematical thought popular in the first half of last century (and the new, more ontologically-focused camps which have since arisen).

I almost switched from philosophy to classics—twice—and I continue to have strong interests in Greek tragic drama, lyric poetry, and history along with the core philosophical nucleus of Plato and Aristotle. I’m familiar with much of the cultural context of those philosophers, and I can read Greek, which only furthers my philosophical interest. I’m also interested in Roman and Etruscan art and archaeology, the sad tale of the Etruscan language, the Stoic philosophers, and Roman politico-religious practices. The birth of Christianity, and the intersection of magic, religion, philosophy and science in the Middle Ages and Renaissance also holds a special and much neglected place in the intellectual course of history. (Think of all the famous philosophers whom you know embraced these practices even while pushing us towards the modern era!)

Literature will always hold a special place in my heart. Besides the classical corpus (tragedy, history, Roman love poetry, etc), I’m familiar with a host of post-Shakespearean poets and writers. My favorite authors are German and Japanese writers from (roughly) the first half of last century, a time period in which I would have gladly thrown out philosophy (except for certain developments in the philosophy of mathematics) in favor of more literature! This is ironic not just because of the great juxtaposition between philosophy and literature of this time period, but also because I can’t read either language.

I have a passing familiarity with pianistic classical music, and some knowledge of orchestral music. Some of my favorite oeuvres include the Beethoven sonatas, Chopin’s Ballades and Nocturnes, Debussy’s Preludes, certain works by Ravel, some of Liszt, and the late Schubert sonatas and his lieder. Besides the obligatory Pictures at an Exhibition, I’m most fond of Bruch’s orchestral and chamber works (the marvelous Kol Nidrei, the glittering Scottish Fantasy, and of course the 1^st violin concerto). I’ve played several instruments, but the first—and foremost—for me, is the piano.

My interests in the sciences form a background for some of my thinking about certain problems in philosophy. I have the most experience with psychology and physics respectively, which should illuminate some of the avenues which such inquiries might traverse.

I don’t really have spare time, because I’m in graduate school. But if I do steal a moment, I like to use it to play videogames, follow baseball, do something creative, or fall into the Internet…

CV Papers Miscellaneous

Questions, comments or problems? Email: mspicone (at) gmail (dot) com