Homepage: https://www.silvana-pani.com/
Office Room: 2.01
Current Position
- Since October 2019: Univ.-Assistant (Doctoral Fellow) in Theoretical Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy (GW), University of Salzburg. Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christopher Gauker. Doctoral Project: “Mental Imagery and Action”
- In my doctoral project, I investigate the nature and organization of mental representations in action planning and execution. I am concerned with the interpretation of neuroscientific models for motor control as well as with questions regarding the format and content of representations figuring not only simple actions like lifting a cup, but also skilled activities. My general tenet is that mental imagery plays a key role in intelligent action. If true, this claim will bring about at least two novel results. First, I intend to provide a detailed characterization of perceptual and imagistic representations at each level of action, from intentional decision-making to the fine-grained mechanism of bodily movement. To this purpose, I take a stand on the recently growing literature on imagistic representations, e.g. by introducing my notion of a “backdrop image” as the cognitive inception of action. Second, in view of the envisaged re-organization of action representations, I offer a novel solution to the so-called “Interface Challenge”, namely the problem of how representations of different formats (i.e. propositional and motoric) work together in the planning and performance of action.
Academic Career
- October 2017 – September 2019: Master’s degree in Philosophy (KGW), University of Salzburg
- September 2014 – July 2017: Bachelor’s degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE), LUISS Guido Carli University, Rome (Italy)
- Fall Semester 2016/2017: Exchange Student at the Higher School of Economics, Moscow (Russia)
Research and Teaching Interest
Area of Specialization: Philosophy of Mind (Mental Imagery, Perception, Action, Skills) Further interests: Value Theories, Political Philosophy, Ethics
