Andrea Bettini, from RaiNews24, interviews Daniele Archibugi on his latest essay, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Advice, Tricks, and Spells for Aspiring Scholars” published by Luiss University Press.

A narrative and a guide to navigating the rules and rituals of the academic and scientific community.

“Those who observe everything and do nothing. This is how Adam Smith defined philosophers and, by extension, scholars in general. They are university professors, engineers, and researchers working in corporate laboratories, and scholars in public institutions and non-profit organizations.

Aspiring to become a scholar is a desire for many, but there are always many contenders and few available positions.

How can one make their way in this universe? Giving free rein to one’s ingenuity is a necessary condition, but often not sufficient.

An apprentice scholar must also learn how to apply to a prestigious university and request a scholarship, how to benefit from a PhD and choose the right mentors, how to submit their work to authoritative journals, and how to navigate conferences. This book explains, in a direct and irreverent way, the implicit rules that govern the republic of knowledge.”