In political and social philosophy, the philosophy of culture, and in the field of cognitive sciences—supported by the neurosciences, biology and psychology—the same metaphysical aim may today be observed, that is an aspiration to discover, still unattainable, the border between Appearance and Reality. In this context, how can we form various models of ethics, theories of laws or political systems if we are unable to give “clear and distinct” criteria of what is real, and thus what is true?

Faced with increasing social, economic, and financial tensions, the International Day for Tolerance established by the United Nations is becoming––as never before––a challenge for the entire globalised world. The challenge is more significant as further values within the culture of the Western world are also at stake. These values, which remain at odds, are put to the test in an economic and political race against other cultural models, which do not share such values and that find the very notion of tolerance alien. We are deeply convinced that it is worth critically examining the history of the ideas, words and concepts surrounding the notion of tolerance, especially in our current time of rising intolerance not only in the Middle East, but also in other parts of the globe. At the same time there remains the age-old question of the limits of tolerance, what used to be called a denial of tolerance, or briefly “intolerance”. How far we have succeeded, you can judge for yourself.

Probably the majority of our “modern” children intuitively associate the Power icon (⏻) with the possibility of either activation or deactivation of all kinds of devices: starting with the toaster or vacuum cleaner and ending with more complicated and perhaps more fascinating items, such as smart phones, tablets, computers or game consoles. From Antiquity to Modern Times, the historical dynamics of our changing understanding of the idea of power recalls a child’s discovering of the world, as both are based on new dealings and correlations.

In writing about freedom at the end of the 20th century, in his The Proper Study of Man (1998), Isaiah Berlin would refer to Heinrich Heine’s text entitled De l’Allemagne (literally “From Germany”). This book was written by Heine while he was a refugee in France. This title bears important resemblance to Madame de Staël’s book by the same title, De l’Allemagne, published in 1813. In this text, the writer philosopher Heine warns the French about the Power of Ideas (Macht der Ideen), with power (Macht) being understood also in the sense of violence (Gewalt). Heinrich Heine wrote about how, in the silence of the philosopher’s study, powerful ideas can be born; ideas that have the ability to destroy the whole of civilization. We nevertheless often forget the roots of this idea – an idea that has shaped our world to such a considerable degree. For this reason, it is to these roots that we dedicate the fourth edition of Orbis Idearum.

“The show must go on.” That is what people say when an actor – however important he or she may be – leaves the stage. Similarly, the History of Ideas Research Centre and Orbis Idearum must go on. Nevertheless, we cannot hide our deep sadness at the untimely death of the founder of the Centre and its journal. Michel Henri Kowalewicz passed away on October 8th, 2016. We ask the reader to please forgive the unusually colloquial tone in which we are writing this Preamble; a style that is far from academic jargon and the cold precision which is typical of scientific publications. It seems to us that the moment calls for such a change of register. In the period between his diagnosis with cancer and his untimely death, we fortunately had many occasions to meet and talk with Michel. Despite the rapid progression of his illness, Michel remained strong to the very end. Whenever he had the strength to do so, not only did he continue his own work, but he also helped others with theirs. There was unfortunately not enough time to settle all of the questions related to the Centre and Orbis Idearum, but Michel made clear his desire that both be continued by his close collaborators and friends. In our attempt to fulfill his wish, we present you, the reader, with a new issue of Orbis Idearum – an issue that we sincerely dedicate “to the memory of Michel Henri Kowalewicz”.

“The show must go on.” That is what people say when an actor – however important he or she may be – leaves the stage. Similarly, the History of Ideas Research Centre and Orbis Idearum must go on. Nevertheless, we cannot hide our deep sadness at the untimely death of the founder of the Centre and its journal. Michel Henri Kowalewicz passed away on October 8th, 2016. We ask the reader to please forgive the unusually colloquial tone in which we are writing this Preamble; a style that is far from academic jargon and the cold precision which is typical of scientific publications. It seems to us that the moment calls for such a change of register. In the period between his diagnosis with cancer and his untimely death, we fortunately had many occasions to meet and talk with Michel. Despite the rapid progression of his illness, Michel remained strong to the very end. Whenever he had the strength to do so, not only did he continue his own work, but he also helped others with theirs. There was unfortunately not enough time to settle all of the questions related to the Centre and Orbis Idearum, but Michel made clear his desire that both be continued by his close collaborators and friends. In our attempt to fulfill his wish, we present you, the reader, with a new issue of Orbis Idearum – an issue that we sincerely dedicate “to the memory of Michel Henri Kowalewicz”.

Orbis Idearum, Volume 5, Issue 1 (2017) is a regular issue. As such, it has no topic, no title, no limitations to a particular theme. It is open to any contribution belonging to the history of ideas. The history of ideas is an academic specialty with its own object of study and its own methodology, and it is not to be confused with disciplines such as the history of philosophy, the history of science, the history of literature, the history of art, etc. The traditional work of the historian of ideas is the reconstruction of the path of an idea (typically, a word-and-concept), in a certain period of time, through different disciplines (philosophy, science, literature, art, etc.). That is why we often say that the history of ideas is an “inter-discipline.”

Orbis Idearum, Volume 5, Issue 2 (2017) is a regular issue. As such, it has no topic, no title, no limitations to a particular theme. It is open to any contribution belonging to the history of ideas. The history of ideas is an academic specialty with its own object of study and its own methodology, and it is not to be confused with disciplines such as the history of philosophy, the history of science, the history of literature, the history of art, etc. The traditional work of the historian of ideas is the reconstruction of the path of an idea (typically, a word-and-concept), in a certain period of time, through different disciplines (philosophy, science, literature, art, etc.). That is why we often say that the history of ideas is an “inter-discipline.”

On February 13^th, 2018 a conference on the theme "Transformations of the body" took place at the Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology (FISPPA) of the University of Padua. The conference was attended by scholars from four different universities, both Italian and foreign. Given the quality of the presentations, the idea was born to publish the Conference Proceedings in the form of a special issue of Orbis Idearum. The papers that have passed the selection, based as always on the double blind peer review, are now gathered in this large volume, which bears the same title as the conference. The contributions deal with issues spread over a very broad time span, ranging from prehistory to the present day. Some authors have partially deviated from the typically interpretive descriptive approach of the history of ideas, sometimes venturing into axio-normative discussions – a "slip" perhaps unavoidable, if we consider the great social importance of the theme. Editors and reviewers have agreed jointly to allow the broadening of the discourse outside the theoretical and methodological lines of the discipline, provided that it was grafted onto a robust historical reconstruction.

Orbis Idearum, Volume 6, Issue 2 (2018) is a regular issue. As such, it has no topic, no title, no limitations to a particular theme. It is open to any contribution belonging to the history of ideas. The history of ideas is an academic specialty with its own object of study and its own methodology, and it is not to be confused with disciplines such as the history of philosophy, the history of science, the history of literature, the history of art, etc. The traditional work of the historian of ideas is the reconstruction of the path of an idea (typically, a word-and-concept), in a certain period of time, through different disciplines (philosophy, science, literature, art, etc.). That is why we often say that the history of ideas is an “inter-discipline.”

On February 14^th, 2019, a conference on the theme “Magic in the History of Ideas” took place at the Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology (FISPPA) of the University of Padua. The conference was attended by scholars from different universities, both Italian and foreign. Given the high quality of the presentations, the idea was born to publish the Conference Proceedings in the form of a special issue of Orbis Idearum. The concept of magic is most often considered a foil by scholars in the fields of philosophy and religious studies, or it is discussed as part of the investigation of “primitive” systems of belief and ritual. In this special issue, authors were invited to present Magic as a system of inquiry and explanation unto itself, connected to, but distinct from, both philosophy and religious studies. Historical analyses may help to understand systems of magic as both natural and rational outgrowths of a particular perspective on reality. The magical traditions of Paleolithic hunters and contemporary indigenous peoples, and those found within classical Greece and Rome, medieval Judaism, and the European Renaissance, can be investigated as important and more or less disciplined attempts to understand the structure of the cosmos and the place of humankind there-in. Far from representing irrational or superstitious systems of belief, key esoteric traditions have played a central role in the rise of the art in the Old Stone Age, and of philosophy and science in the ancient, and early modern periods.

Orbis Idearum, Volume 7, Issue 2 (2019) is a regular issue. As such, it has no topic, no title, no limitations to a particular theme. It is open to any contribution belonging to the history of ideas. The history of ideas is an academic specialty with its own object of study and its own methodology, and it is not to be confused with disciplines such as the history of philosophy, the history of science, the history of literature, the history of art, etc. The traditional work of the historian of ideas is the reconstruction of the path of an idea (typically, a word-and-concept), in a certain period of time, through different disciplines (philosophy, science, literature, art, etc.). That is why we often say that the history of ideas is an “inter-discipline.”

There is a general consensus that the history of ideas was not born just to satisfy the idle curiosity of researchers regarding ways of thinking and communicating in the past. The history of ideas was also born to respond to the challenges of the present and the future, to help us make use of the knowledge we have inherited - although too often forgotten - and that is preserved in paper and digital archives. The COVID-19 pandemic that is currently disrupting the lives of billions of people in all nations of Earth invites reflection on past epidemics and pandemics. How have the plagues that have periodically affected mankind been studied, understood, and combated? How have the human dramas of contagion been portrayed in medical and scientific literature, legal codes, sacred texts, political speeches, newspapers and magazines, novels and other literary works? How have such experiences influenced other aspects of our lives, and in what ways can these effects be traced over time? What are the differences and similarities between the reactions to past epidemics and the reactions we are observing today against the threat of the coronavirus? In the current issue authors propose studies and reflections on these difficult topics, and thereby illustrate how knowledge of the past is helpful not only today, but also for moving constructively into tomorrow.