Doctoral defence: Michele Cerutti "On Truth from a Semiotic Point of View"

On 27 March at 15:15, Michele Cerutti will defend his doctoral thesis “On Truth from a Semiotic Point of View” for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Semiotics and Culture Studies).

Supervisors:
Professor Andreas Ventsel, University of Tartu
Professor Massimo Leone, University of Turin (Italy)

Opponents:
Professor Dario Martinelli, Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania)
Professor Kristian Bankov, New Bulgarian University (Bulgaria)

The dissertation discusses the current crisis of post-truth, highlighting how global events and technological evolution have made the debate on truth in communication and politics urgent. The author argues that, contrary to semiotics’ traditional reluctance to deal directly with the concept of truth, it is essential to develop a semiotic notion of truth in order to address contemporary problems such as disinformation and fake news. The text proposes that semiotics must go beyond veridiction (making something appear true in discourse) to study truthfulness as a semiotic pragmatic style and a value of communication. To do this, the author engages in a semantic analysis of the word “truth”, and in a theoretical reconsideration of the role of truth, largely in dialogue with the work of Umberto Eco, to contribute to a semiotics with a conscience that promotes more reliable epistemic practices. The central thesis is that, in order to fight the post-truth crisis, semiotics must focus on promoting truth as a value, distinguishing between open and closed discursive styles.

The defence will be held at the University of Turin and can also be followed online.

This study has been supported by the Estonian Doctoral School; it was funded by the University of Turin, and co-funded by the European Union (Project “Cooperation between universities to promote doctoral studies” (2021–2027.4.04.24-0003)), and the Estonian Research Council project PRG1716 “Relational Approach of Strategic History Narratives.”