My research is focused on two main topics: 1) the (mutual) relations between intentionality and phenomenality; 2) the nature of affective states. In my PhD dissertation, I exploited the case of moods to undermine Intentionalism about phenomenal character (i.e., the view that phenomenal character is nothing over and above experience’s intentional content). In short, I argued that moods raise a serious counterexample to Intentionalism. My general conclusion was that, despite its philosophical virtues, intentionalism is ultimately unsatisfying: it does not seem to be well-equipped to account for all the difficulties and complications presented by the conscious phenomena.
Currently, my work is focused on offering a good description of conscious phenomena - which, I believe, is something we miss as much as a good explanation of what consciousness is. In my view, offering such a description is the main task of phenomenology, understood as a metaphysics of the domain of phenomenality.
All this is at the core of the two more specific projects that I am carrying out at the moment. The first is to develop a philosophical theory of moods that aims to assess a cluster of connected philosophical issues concerning the phenomenal, intentional, and functional features of moods.
The second is concerned with exploring the possibility of grounding intentionality in phenomenality and finding a viable way to do that. The aim is not only sheding light on the very idea that phenomenality grounds intentionality - i.e., the so-called Phenomenal Intentionality View -, but also finding a convincing, strong argument for such an idea and developing the relevant tools to give a good description of the metaphysical structure of the domain of phenomenality.
I am also strongly interested in the connections between experience and time - especially time and emotion.
Publications Edited books Consciousness and Inner Awareness, under contract with Cambridge University Press (with Arnaud Dewalque and Anna Giustina).
Papers and Chapters In English
Bordini, D. (Forthcoming). Something about the Question of Aboutness: Comments on Crane. Australasian Philosophical Review, issue on "Ontology and Intentionality" (editor: Raamy Majeed; target article: “On the Explanation of Intentionality” by Tim Crane).
Bordini, D. (2023). Seeing through Transparency. In U. Kriegel (ed.), Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Mind Volume 3. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [penultimate draft] [
Bordini, D. and G. Torrengo. (2022). Frightening Times, European Journal of Philosophy, 30(1), 2022: 293-306. [penultimate draft] [published version]
Bordini, D. (2022). The Taste(s) of a Recipe. In A. Borghini & P. Engisch (eds.), A Philosophy of Recipes: Making, Experiencing, and Valuing. London: Bloomsbury, 2022. [penultimate draft]
Bordini, D. (2017). Not in the Mood for Intentionalism, Midwest Studies in Philosophy, 41, issue on "Phenomenology of Affective Life:" 60-81. [penultimate draft] [published version]
Bordini, D. (2017). Is There Introspective Evidence for Phenomenal Intentionality? Philosophical Studies, 174(5): 1105-1126. [penultimate draft] [published version]
In Italian
Bordini, D. (2022). Mente. In E. Paganini (ed.),Il Primo Libro di Filosofia del Linguaggio e della Mente. Torino: Einaudi.
Bordini, D. (2022). Funzionalismo. In E. Paganini (ed.),Il Primo Libro di Filosofia del Linguaggio e della Mente. Torino: Einaudi.
Bordini, D. (2022). Computazionalismo. In E. Paganini (ed.),Il Primo Libro di Filosofia del Linguaggio e della Mente. Torino: Einaudi.
Bordini, D., E. Paganini, S. Zucchi (2019). Introduzione. Rivista Italiana di Filosofia del Linguaggio, Special issue “Forme dell’identità:” 1-2.
Bordini, D. (2011). “Analitico, Sintetico e A Priori: Il Dibattito tra Fenomenologia Husserliana e Empirismo Logico.” Rivista di Storia della Filosofia, 56(2): 205-230.
Talks
Self-representationalism, Intimacy, and Mental Representation
The Science of Consciousness 2023. Taormina, Italy. May 2023.
Monthly Phenomenology Seminar. Online. March 2023.
Experience, Awareness, Consciousness. University of Milan. Milan, Italy. June 2022.
15th SIFA Conference. University of Messina. Noto, Italy. September 2021.
Inner Awareness, Intimacy, and Mental Representation
The Mark of the Mental Webinar Series. San Raffaele University, Milan. Online. June 2021.
Introspection and Intentionalism about Moods
Introspection and Self-Awareness. Annual Seminar of the Centre for Phenomenological Research. Liege, Belgium. April 2019.
Not in the Mood for Intentionalism
Workshop on Phenomenal Consciousness and Self-Awareness. Fribourg, Switzerland. April 2019.
Thumos Seminar, Geneva, Switzerland. April 2019.
IUSS Philosophy Seminars. Pavia, Italy. November 2017.
The Tastes of a Recipe
Framing Recipes: Identity, Relationships, Norms. University of Milan. Milan, Italy. December 2018.
Experiencing Taste (with S. Hirvonen)
The Dining Experience. New Questions for Theoretical Philosophy. University of Fribourg. Fribourg, Switzerland. June 2018.
The Times of Fear (with G. Torrengo)
York-Milan Workshop on Mind & Metaphysics. University of York. York, UK. January 2018.
1st Tokyo-Milan Workshop on Time. Komaba Campus, Tokyo University. Tokyo, Japan. November 2017.
Not in the Mood for Intentionalism
IUSS Philosophy Seminars. IUSS. Pavia, Italy. November 2017.
Mind, Body, Future
Invited lecture for the Envisioning Workshop. Domus Academy. Milan, Italy. October 2017.
Fearing the Future. Fear as Essentially Future-Oriented Emotion (with G. Torrengo)
Emotions, Imagination, and Time. Gargnano del Garda, Italy. September 2017.
Is There Introspective Evidence for Phenomenal Intentionality?
ECAP9. Munich, Germany. August 2017.
12th SIFA Conference. UNISER. Pistoia, Italy. September 2016.
Phenomenal Grounding?
Matter, Mind and Consciousness. CEU Summer University. Central European University. Budapest, Hungary. July 2016.
Naturalization, Intentionalism, and Moods
Lectio Commandiniana. University of Urbino. Urbino, Italy. May 2016.
Arguing from Introspection? A Matter of (In)Convenience
2nd Conference on Natural Cognition. Rationality and Its Rivals. University of Macau. Macau, China. December 2015.
Phenomenology, Intentionality, and Introspection
OntoForMat Metaphysical Seminar. University of Milan. Milan, Italy. May 2015.
Intentionalism about Moods: Going to Eden Is Still Not Enough
ECAP8. Bucharest, Romania. August 2014.
Philosophy, Analysis, and Public Engagement. 11th SIFA Conference. L’Aquila, Italy. September 2014.
22nd Annual Meeting of the ESPP. Noto, Italy. September 2014.
Intentionalism and the Problem of Moods
Seminar of Philosophy of Language and Mind. University of Milan. Milan, Italy.February 2014.
Nonperceptual Sensuous States. 3rd Milan-York Workshop. University of York, York, UK. July 2014.
Phenomenal Intentionality and Introspection
Phenomenality and Internalism. 2nd Annual Ernst Mach Workshop. Prague, Czech Republic. June 2013.
21st Annual Meeting of the ESPP. Granada, Spain. July 2013.
7th Meeting of the SEFA. Madrid, Spain. September 2013.
Language, Logic, and Mind. 3rd SIFA Graduate Conference. Cagliari, Italy. September 2013.
The Silence of Transparency
Paris Consciousness and Self-consciousness Seminar. Institut Jean Nicod, Paris, France. April, 2013.
Nonperceptual Sensuous States. 2nd Milan-York Workshop. University of Milan, Milan, Italy. June 2013.
Comments on Peter Simon’s 'Perceptual Retention'
Memory, Perception, and Imagination. Milan-York-Nottingham Workshop. Gargnano del Garda, Italy. September 2012.