Francesco PIRO

Biography

Francesco Piro (Napoli, 1957) took his degree in Philosophy at the University of Salerno (1980). Thereafter he followed post-graduate courses in Naples, Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Storici (1982-83), and in Urbino, Istituto di Filosofia (1983-1986). He obtained his Ph.D. with a dissertation on young Leibniz's philosophy of mind.
Actually, he teaches History of Philosophy at the Department of Human Sciences, Philosophy and Education of the University of Salerno (since October 1st 2005 as Full Professor) and has other teaching charges in other Departments of the same University. He is also part of the teaching team in the post-graduate school of studies on Late-Ancient, Medieval and Humanist Culture (RAMUS).
His published works concern mainly, but not exclusively, European Early-Modern Philosophy and the views on scientific and practical reason developed therein. Among the topics he published more intensively about, one may mention: (i) Leibniz's Metaphysics, Philosophy of Action, Principle of Sufficient Reason; (ii) Modern Natural Rights Doctrines and their political consequences: Leibniz and his followers, but also Baruch Spinoza, Christian Thomasius, Giambattista Vico and others; (iii) Psychology of Imagination, its evolution since Aristotle to the Modern Age and its actual interest; (iv) Critical Thinking and its place in Education.