Potestas Essendi is a website owned, edited, and managed by Nicola Polloni since 2015. Original materials produced for this website (such as text, images, slides, videos) are meant to be used by a wider public including both specialists and non-specialists in the field. The plurality of multimedia contents implies a multitude of copyright accesses. PDFs of published texts (articles, book sections, etc) come with their own copyrights, which are often held by the publisher or, in other occasions, by the author. Copyrights of other texts and sections that have not been published elsewhere belong to their author: which is usually the owner of PE or guest contributors. If the latter, explicit reference to the author accompanies the text. Video recordings hosted by PE come from the dedicated YouTube channel and are subject to that platform’s copyright limitations. Copyrights of images belong either to the owner of PE (in the case of photos, edited images, slides, diagrams) or to libraries and other institutions indicated in the section “Credits” (see below). Concerning the reproduction of the materials offered by Potestas Essendi, see the “Frequently Asked Questions” below.

Potestas Essendi is not a static entity, but an on-going exploration. While some sections of the website expand on the CV, activities, and research of the owner, PE should not be taken as a mere self-entitled representation of an academic profile. Considered as a whole, Potestas Essendi aims to provide its readers with (a) diaphanous perspectives on the academic work done by the owner, (b) access to the outputs produced during that work to the wider community of stakeholders that have made that research possible, though indirectly, and (c) an open and on-going dialogue about a diverse set of topics directly and/or indirectly related to philosophy, academia, and their societal relevance.

Among these three main goals of Potestas Essendi, (c) is the most important and it is from there that the website originated years ago. Because of its aims, opinions expressed by texts, videos, and images related to point (c) exceed the boundaries of the academic discourse and should be taken accordingly. Moreover, point (c) is a goal that implies constantly different instantiations of how to be achieved. Accordingly, Potestas Essendi is a sort of substrate of change (accidental and substantial, too). Hence, the structure itself of the website has changed in the past and will change again in the future in a constant experimentation of how to better engage with its aims.

Videos
All videos have been edited by Nicola Polloni in agreement with the people appearing in the recordings, to whom a great deal of gratitude should be acknowledged for their willingness to share their thoughts with the wider public.

Images
Images used by Potestas Essendi usually come from medieval manuscripts held by European libraries and are shared for non-commercial use. Most of the illuminations used here come from two beautiful manuscripts in Paris: Mazarine 3458 and Mazarine 3469. A more detailed set of references to manuscripts and illuminations will be provided soon.

Graphics
The website graphics and aesthetics (mastheads, etc.) have been produced by Nicola Polloni also thanks to the feedbacks of many readers and their invaluable suggestions.

Can I quote passages from articles, book chapters, and/or books you have authored and made available through Potestas essendi?
You can surely do that and I would appreciate it very much. Always remember to make reference to what you are quoting, though. Exact references are the Lonely Planet of academia.

Can I quote texts and passages from pages of Potestas essendi which are not part of published papers in my own webpage or share them through social media?
Yes, you can do that. But again, always remember to refer to the source. What a better world would it be if everyone referred to the used sources!

Can I quote texts and passages from pages of Potestas essendi which are not part of published papers in my own paper/article/chapter/book?
No, you cannot do that. If you really want to do that, you can write to me and we shall find a solution. If you want to refer to the website as such, there is no need to say that it is indeed feasible. Nevertheless, much content of Potestas essendi is hands-on research which I want to make accessible, but I would probably prefer not to disseminate it through scholarly publications yet (for a variety of reasons). Therefore, just write to me if you want to reuse any content in a scholarly paper you are writing.

Can I use material I have found in Potestas essendi without mentioning the source from which I have taken it?
No, you cannot. Indeed, that would be plagiarism—a terrible illness of academia. All multimedia material I have provided you with is protected by copyright and you cannot reuse it without my explicit permission beyond the limits established by law and described by this Q&A.

Can I use multimedia content from Potestas essendi for teaching purposes?
Yes, you can use almost anything in here if you think it can be helpful with teaching. Same rules in place: always refer to the origin of the material you are using.

Can I use content from Potestas essendi to write a talk, a blurb, or something like that?
You should not do that… Moreover, do you think that it would be a good idea? Academia is a small world (not in David Lodge’s sense, or not only in that sense). Much of the features, problems, and interpretations you are reading in this webpage have already been read by many other colleagues and much often they are specifically connected to my research. If you were to present a research proposal substantively dependant on what you have found here, it would be clear that you are not presenting something new. If you were to use contents from Potestas essendi to write a blurb or an introduction, it would be clear once you upload it that its origins are from this website, so… why do that? It is not illegal, but perhaps it would not be the smartest move.

What happens if I do any of the things you have said I should not do? And why should I not do that?
EU regulations on matter of copyright are rather strict and you do not want to mess with the EU. Plagiarism is a legal offence which is usually punished harshly. Beside being ethically and deontologically reprehensible, plagiarism (in all its forms) is punished by a special kind of Eryns that usually damage substantively any academic career. Be careful, then! Never try the Eryns, you know what happens if you do so…

What if I had some doubts about any aspect of this Q&A?
Well, no need to even say that. You just have to write to me and everything will be clarified.