Talk abstract details

The character Mr. Palomar, the alter-ego of the Italian author Italo Calvino, appeared for the first time in 1975 on the pages of the Il Corriere della Sera, and then more or less regularly till its debut as a book in 1983. His thoughts and reflections are quite unique and illuminating. For instance, through the observation of the waves in the sea, Mr. Palomar discovers not only that it induces a peaceful and inspirational state of mind that helps preventing coronary and mental illnesses, but also that it holds the key to capture the complexity of the world reducing it in its most elementary mechanism. In my talk I will describe Mr. Palomar thoughts while he observes the sky and some others that he might have put forward if had the time and the knowledge of the cosmos we have nowdays.
I will also discuss the thoughts of other authors on how, in their opinion, cosmological knowledge affects the human condition.