Bibliography

Symbolic logic, from the pioneering days of Boole to Russell, has developed mainly by taking mathematics as its field of investigation, which, even today, retains this preeminent position. This tradition of mathematical logic, however, has obscured the development of other branches of logic, which are equally important, and which consist, for example, in the logic of modalities (alethic, deontic, epistemic, existential), in the logic of preference and in temporal logic.

Of these logics, called non-standard, here we take into consideration, in particular, the deontic logic or logic of normative systems, which begins in modern times with an article by G.H. von Wright, in 1951. Deontic logic is extremely useful for the analysis of concepts and normative systems in the social sciences. In fact, by applying the principles and procedures of deontic logic, it seems possible to promote greater rigor in the field of social sciences, but this demanding task poses preliminary problems of a semantic and pragmatic nature, which only an interdisciplinary collaboration between logicians and social scientists can make possible.

A proposal for a “rational reconstruction” of the social world based on two fundamental principles: the evaluative-normative point of view, through which social reality is “carved out”; the thesis of the unity of values, norms, action.

To better clarify these assumptions, Di Bernardo compares them with the principles of two philosophical traditions that have profoundly influenced the methodology of the human and social sciences: positivism and hermeneutics. Values ​​and norms, connected with action, enter, directly or indirectly, into the construction of conceptions of the social world. Therefore, hermeneutics, which has placed the relevance of values ​​for the understanding of actions from the beginning, turns out to be, compared to positivism, closer to the author's intentions, as appears from the analysis he carries out on the works of authoritative scholars, such as, for example, Comte, Spencer, Schlick, Reichenbach, Ayer, Neurath, Dilthey, Windelband, Rickert, Weber, Winch.

The validity of the principles supported depends on an adequate methodology, provided in the second part of the volume. In particular, the thesis of the unity of values, norms, actions, requires the specification of the structure and meaning of normative systems, a specification offered through the construction of two systems, which represent ideal cases and allow to rigorously characterize the real normative systems (legal, moral, customs, etc.). These systems, moreover, are compared with the legal system of Leibniz.

Once the normative structures have been clarified, the task that arises is to build a model that explains actions, leading them back to a set of values ​​and norms. In this regard, the author takes up the suggestions of the Wittgensteinian tradition and, in particular, those of G.H. von Wright, and builds a model of explanation of action, based on practical inference, a model that can be considered a valid alternative to the one proposed by C.G. Hempel.

Giuliano Di Bernardo’s thought developed along the two parallel tracks of philosophy and Freemasonry. With La conoscenza umana. Dalla fisica alla sociologia alla religione, he presents his enlightenment vision of reality, in which epistemological reflections and Masonic thought meet and merge into a unitary perspective. With the rigorous investigation of the theories of physics, biology and sociology, integrated with the theology of religions, he brings the study of man back into the context of Darwinian evolution and projects his thought towards the future of humanity.

The human species is at risk of extinction because reason, brought to the height of its power, no longer knows how to govern its creations (science, technology, art, ethics and religion). Evolution has favored reason but not the wisdom necessary to limit and administer it. Reason, which was the architect of the great human civilizations, is now unconsciously working to destroy them. The Author's proposal, in this regard, is that only the advent of the enlightened tyrant can determine the necessary balance between reason and wisdom and avoid the extinction of the human species.

Is there a philosophy of Freemasonry? Is there a Masonic anthropology? In which historical sources, in which documents has this concept found its codification?

If by philosophy we mean a conceptual system capable of understanding the totality of the areas and problems that philosophical reflection traditionally deals with, Masonic thought is not a “philosophy”. However, it is supported by a precise and articulated series of conceptions that concern man, his nature, his purposes. The essential core of this Masonic anthropology has come to be defined and codified, in the course of the history of Freemasonry, around some essential cornerstones, expressed by five key notions: Freedom, Tolerance, Brotherhood, Transcendence, Initiatory Secret.

Precisely the intertwining of these values ​​constitutes the consolidated ideal heritage of Freemasonry, in the course of a long elaboration whose most significant sources are to be found in Anderson’s Constitutions, in the Landmarks and in the Declarations. Despite the difficulties and problems of interpretation that these documents pose, it is possible to trace in them a sure and stable unitary nucleus, a solid and articulated construction of thought.

What prospects does man have today to face a crisis that, for the first time in its thousand-year history, affects all aspects of his life? Giuliano Di Bernardo, Grand Master of the Regular Grand Lodge of Italy, presents in this book the project of a "universal ethic" that, supported by utopian thought, could allow humanity to emerge from the moral, political and social decadence in which it finds itself. To achieve this goal, Freemasonry re-proposes its ethical conception and declares the compatibility between Freemasonry and religions, on the basis of which it is possible to belong to it and profess a religious faith. Even religions, having noted the difficulties of founding a unitary religion, propose a global world ethic. The two ethics present, beyond some differences, a substantial analogy that is an essential premise for a dialogue open to men of good will. However, the two ethics are not sufficient to bring humanity out of the state of crisis that afflicts it. At least for this reason, today more than ever, there is a need to devise utopias, feasible utopias, based on mysticism. The hope is that man, inspired by ethics and utopian thought, can glimpse, among the darkness that dominates his life, the beacon of brotherly love, an essential premise for the material, moral and spiritual renewal of humanity.