Education in the age of artificial intelligence, the role of contemporary humanities, the relationship between spirituality and technology: these will be some of the themes at the centre of “UR-RA: Education, Training, Spirituality”, the second international conference promoted as part of the exhibition UR-RA – Unity of Religions, Responsibility of Art di Michelangelo Pistoletto, scheduled for June 8th and 9th in the Ballroom of the Royal Villa of Monza.
The initiative continues the theoretical and cultural path started with the exhibition curated by Francesco Monico, open to visitors until October 31, 2026, and transforms the Villa's historic hall into what the project calls the "Hall of Trinamica": a space for dialogue between art, philosophy, science, education, and spiritual traditions.
The conference, curated by Francesco Monico together with Noemi Marieva, stems from the idea that education can no longer be interpreted solely as the transmission of skills, but as a practice of cultural, aesthetic, and anthropological transformation. In a context marked by the spread of digital platforms, algorithms, and artificial intelligence systems, the symposium offers a reflection on the need to redefine the relationship between knowledge, responsibility, and the human dimension.
Among the keynote speakers of the two days are some of the most renowned voices in contemporary international debate. The philosopher is expected to speak Timothy Morton of Rice University in Houston, one of the main theorists of contemporary ecology, alongside Derrick de Kerckhove, considered one of the intellectual heirs of Marshall McLuhan and professor at the Polytechnic University of Milan.
The program will also involve scholars from different disciplines, including Massimo Inguscio of the Accademia dei Lincei, Sandro Sozzo of the University of Udine, Massimiliano Sassoli de Bianchi of the Leo Apostel Center for Transdisciplinary Research of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and Francesco Striano of the University of Turin.
Alongside the academic world, there will also be space for representatives of various religious and spiritual traditions. Speakers will include: Nader Akkad, Joseph Levi, Yahya Pallavicini e Swamini Shuddananda Giri, in a comparison that aims to connect different cultural and spiritual visions without rigidifying them into confessional affiliations.
The project develops around the concept of “Trinamics”, a central element of Michelangelo Pistoletto's thought and closely linked to the theory of Third ParadiseTrinamics transcends the binary structure of conflict by introducing a third, generative element capable of transforming opposition into relationship and creative possibility. In the context of the conference, this approach becomes a model for addressing the changes brought about by contemporary technologies and new forms of knowledge organization.
One of the theoretical cores of the symposium concerns the so-called "Contemporary Humanities," interpreted as an evolution of the traditional humanistic disciplines. From this perspective, art, technology, environment, spirituality, and artificial intelligence can no longer be analyzed separately, but must be understood as interconnected elements in the transformation of contemporary societies.
The debate will also include the concept of "sinterity", developed by Francesco Monico in the volume Educene: The Speculative Corpse of Knowledge, announced for release in 2026 for Mimesis EditionsSynterity is described as a new relational condition between humans and the artificial, in which individual learning develops within collective networks of memories, images, and data reorganized by digital technologies.
The initiative also fits into the debate opened by Pope Leo XIV on the integration of technological innovation and human development. This theme was also highlighted by Bartolomeo Corsini, general director of the Consortium Villa Reale and Monza Park, who believes that education can be a fundamental tool for addressing the transformations brought about by artificial intelligence without giving in to fear or simplification.
The principle of "inversion of patronage" also plays a central role in the UR-RA project, a theoretical device that overturns the traditional relationship between art and religious or cultural institutions. From this perspective, art questions religions, science, and contemporary society, asking what forms of meaning can still contribute to the construction of the future.
The different spiritual traditions—from Judaism to Islam, from Christianity to Hinduism—are thus considered not as closed systems, but as symbolic heritages capable of offering tools for interpreting the present and its transformations.
After this second event, the UR-RA calendar will continue between September and October 2026 with new meetings dedicated to the topics of medicine, healthcare, economics, and finance, maintaining Trinamics as a method of interdisciplinary discussion.
Access to the conference is included in the ticket to the Royal Villa of Monza. Information and details are available on the official websites. Royal Palace of Monza e cittadellarte.
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