The academic community of Siena and the world of science mourn the passing of professor Roberto Fondiesteemed professor of the Department of Geology of the University of Siena. He was 81 years old and had been fighting an inexorable illness for some time.
Born in Montale in 1943, Professor Fondi distinguished himself throughout his career for his significant contribution to the field of vertebrate paleontology. Loved and respected by students, his research, which has often challenged convention, has focused on the study of quantitative taxonomic methodologies, an approach that has led to new insights into scientific classification.
But Roberto Fondi was not only an academic of great value, but also a intellectual of profound cultureknown for his rigorous criticism ofDarwinian evolutionism together with Giuseppe Sermonti. His studies and numerous publications, including three fundamental books for research now unobtainable (including “After Darwin: Critique of Evolutionism” and “La révolution organiste”) have contributed to positioning him among the most eminent scholars in the world .
In his youth, Fondi also had an active role in politics, militating in the national right and in the early 1970s a point of reference for New Order in Siena. In the mid-90s he was among the founders of the Federico II cultural clublinked to Alleanza Nazionale, demonstrating his constant interest in cultural and political dialogue.
A less well-known but equally important aspect of his life concerned the closeness and following of the philosopher’s thought Julius Evolawhich profoundly influenced his intellectual path and led him to delve into the themes of traditional thought, esotericism and openness to the most stimulating cultural currents of European philosophy.
Professor Roberto Fondi leaves a legacy of knowledge and passion for research as well as a great contribution to the academic world and cultural debate. His passing is a great loss for the scientific community and for the social right. The funeral will be held in a strictly private form. He will rest in the Laterino cemetery.
