Maschio, adult, white. For centuries, he has been the identikit of the philosopher. Women graduates in philosophy? Very few and cut off from universities and important places for the elaboration of dominant thought. Luckily something is changing. Starting with high schools. «Until the 1970s, philosophy teachers were predominantly men, but no longer» comments Simonetta Tassinari, high school philosophy teacher and author of numerous books.
Today, at the three-year course of degree in Philosophy in Italy, girls represent 51.5 percent (Alma Laurea data), an epochal overtaking. The glass ceiling remains for those who teach philosophy in universities, where the ordinary ones are only 30 percent. Today, Philosophy graduates no longer see only a high school professorship in their future. A philosopher can find space in many fieldsfrom personnel management to advertising, from social media to artificial intelligence, from screenwriting to publishing.
The (degree in) philosophy is female
What does this discipline offer to a young woman today? «It anchors us to reality and gives fullness, inner richness, balance» adds Tassinari. «Even in an ephemeral society like ours in some respects, it helps to give the right weight and to have the meaning of life». According to Giovanna Cosenza, professor at the University of Bologna, the golden rule is to integrate one’s philosophical skills with digital ones, which the market requires today. And never lose self-confidence. As demonstrated by those who have managed to build an interesting career with philosophy.
Lavinia Garulli: «From Heidegger to commercials»
Lavinia Garulli, 52 years old, freelance in the advertising field, teaches Creative strategy at the Master’s course Ied in Milan: “Jailboat was Kant and the problem of Heidegger’s metaphysics: I read it when I was 17 and it opened up a world to me. At the end of high school, I had no choice but to enroll in Philosophy. Theoretics provided me with the critical thinking toolbox to keep different disciplines together. Once I graduated, I started collaborating with Flash Art magazine, dealing with contemporary art deciphered through philosophy. I was curious about the cultural changes taking place: net art, art as social denunciation.
By chance I approached the world of advertising, where I entered as a copywriter, working in various agencies. It was already a changing world: social media had started a direct dialogue with the consumer, traditional advertising was in decline. My goal was to capture the Zeitgeist, the spirit of the time, to make the brand relevant. Advertising has to do with the deepest primary needs of the individual, always evolving: how you love, how you relate to others… Philosophy is fundamental to understanding. After several years, I felt the need to leave an agency to explore more opportunities, as a creative director and freelancer.
Today, in addition to commercials, I develop entertainment content to reach those targets who skip advertising, on TV or digital. For example, at the Authors’ Days as part of the last one International Film Festival in Venicein the section dedicated to brands I presented a fiction in six episodes which tells the story of young people dealing with precariousness, with a product inside it. My job was to create the content, work with the authors on the story, bring out the values of the brand. I also follow the set, collaborating with many different professionals, from the director to the photographer, to the casting, to the talent influencer. Every detail must be perfect and if something doesn’t convince me in the preview, I quickly find an alternative. As I always tell my students at IED (European Institute of Design, ed.), They pay me to think: it’s the best for a Philosophy graduate! A material that is extreme rationality, but also has strong elements of creativity.”
Francesca Cova: «The importance of relationships»
Francesca Cova 49 years old, equity partner and founder of W-Executive in Milan, a company specialized in the search for top personnel in companies
Francesca Cova, 49 years old, is equity partner and founder of W-Executive in Milana company specializing in the search for top personnel in companies: «When I decided to enroll in the degree course, my parents supported me, despite the fact that it didn’t offer great career opportunities: luckily for me, they were convinced that university shouldn’t be useful only to have professional training, but to acquire the tools to excel and develop useful skills in various sectors.
My studies led me to a different relationship with reality, pushing me to see beyond appearances, even what others don’t see. In an increasingly heterogeneous world, the philosopher knows how to interpret complexity. The philosophy goes well with a career in the field of human resources, where my skills that were not immediately usable were the basis for my professional path.
After degree in Aesthetics with Stefano Zecchi, I enrolled in the Master of Economics for graduates in humanities at Sda Bocconi (the Bocconi School of Business Management in Milan, ed.) to complete my education. I started working at Manpower doing staff research and selection, focusing on increasingly specialized profiles. Then at Robert Half International I focused on specialists in administration, finance and control. The next step was to found the company of which I am a partner, in which I deal with the search for financial directors, CEOs and executives. The “circle” is limited and my work is based a lot on relationships. You have to know the person in front of you, but also the contexts that go beyond appearance. And this is where philosophical skills come into play. A few years ago, the American entrepreneur Mark Cuban, one of the richest men in the world, said that the best investment is a degree in Philosophy because in a decade – in an increasingly complex and liquid world – we will be looking for more philosophers than computer scientists because they know how to think critically and have a global vision. It is significant that he, who made his fortune through technology, said it.”
Annarita Dibenedetto: «I help you find your own resources»
Annarita Dibenedetto, 44 years old, freelance philosophical counselor and teacher at the Master’s specialization in Philosophical Counseling at the Higher School of Philosophical Counseling and Philosophical Practices (Sscf) in Turin
Annarita Dibenedetto, 44 years old, is a freelance philosophical counselor and teacher at the Master’s degree in philosophical counseling at the Higher School of Philosophical Counseling and Philosophical Practices (Sscf) in Turin: «Love for philosophy? The high school teacher sent it to me. At university, defying those who told me I would end up unemployed, I chose to study with teachers who were students of the existentialist philosopher Luigi Pareyson. I also attended a highly specialized course in publishing. But when I entered the job market, I came to terms with reality.
I accepted a job that wasn’t my aspiration and, in the meantime, I continued to update myself. So I came across a book by the psychiatrist Lodovico Berra, who made philosophical counseling known in Italy. I enrolled in the Masters in 2012 (I was pregnant with my daughter Emma). This training path has strengthened me, I understood the all-pervasive potential of philosophy, useful in contexts such as school, healthcare, prison, companies. Even politics: Alexander the Great had Aristotle as a tutor. After three years I became a philosophical counselor, a professional figure who establishes a helping relationship based on a non-judgmental philosophical attitude, active listening, empathy and can accompany a person to find the resources within themselves to get out of the crisis. It is preventive work with respect to the pathological situations that psychologists and psychiatrists deal with. At the end of the Master’s degree I started tutoring students at the Sscf (Higher School of Philosophical Counseling and Philosophical Practices) and then they asked me to teach. In the meantime I started collaborating with Loescher: for a philosophy manual I produced applied philosophy content. With a colleague I created a webinar for teachers on orientation. Finally, I deal with life skills, the 10 life skills to prevent social and individual malaise.”
Giovanna Cosenza: «Dialogue with AI and software»
Giovanna Cosenza is a full professor of Semiotics and storytelling, Semiotics of consumption and Semiotics of new media at Communication Sciences, University of Bologna: «I was in doubt whether to study medicine to save people or philosophy, to understand them. I chose the second path: in high school he had already opened my mind. Understanding the world, seeking the answer to “where we come from, who we are, where we are going” with the thoughts of the great philosophers has always attracted me. I enrolled at the University of Bologna because it was there Umberto Eco who taught Semiotics, a discipline born from philosophy. I also did my doctorate with him. Before winning the competition in 2000, which allowed me to have a career in university, I always worked. Eco was a technoenthusiast and passed on his passion to me: thanks to him, together with some fellow students, I created a company to work on the encyclopedia on the history of European civilization on CD-Rom.
Today digital is a crucial part of my work. I teach three subjects. With “Semiotics and storytelling” I explain what makes a story compelling or boring, from fairy tales to Instagram stories. In “Semiotics of consumption” I analyze what drives people to consume: today purchasing pervades our lives, in fact we talk about existential marketing and this is connected to philosophy. With “Semiotics of new media” I aim to create professionals capable of moving also with artificial intelligence.
The final frontier is the prompt designer who knows how to communicate with AI and produce texts, images and videos with its help. It’s not the future, it’s the present: companies combine computer scientists and engineers with graduates in humanities. Several of my Semiotics students today design software interfaces: it is User Experience Design (Uxd), which makes the use of machines easier for humans. Something that is also done with philosophy.”
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