GNGTS 2024 - Atti del 42° Convegno Nazionale

Session 2.3 GNGTS 2024 photographed, and flmed, these phenomena lack unequivocal and certain interpretatons. Instead, they represent phenomena that necessitate further study to unveil their connecton with earthquakes. The essence of science lies not in providing defnitve interpretatons but in the approach and method employed for study, encompassing hypotheses, tests, and atempts that may occasionally prove incorrect. Can seismic lights be interpreted as a signal of the impending strongest event during a seismic swarm? The answer is not without uncertainty. Even with instrumental observatons, which have been feasible for some tme (Fidani, 2010), and can be actvated in the event of a swarm in the area of interest, uncertaintes persist. While personal awareness of seismic lights can serve as a means of self-protecton or safeguarding one's family (Witze, 2014), the collectve utlizaton of this awareness necessitates the preparedness of the populaton to discuss such a possibility. Finally, earthquake lights serve as a compelling topic for initatng discussions surrounding these tragic events. They engage both those who haven't directly experienced the tremor and those who have experimented with memories of deafening thuds, screams, helplessness, and pain. For the former, these lights are spectacular phenomena highlightng the immense energies unleashed, involving the atmosphere, yet underscoring the recurring nature of such tragedies. Hopefully, for those who lived through the earthquake, discussions unfold from the days before and afer, gradually converging on the moment of tragedy. This approach allows individuals to revisit the traumatc experience, startng from a calmer perspectve. The collecton of testmonies following the earthquake in L'Aquila revealed the facilitaton that this topic provides in sharing personal experiences. It's not merely a therapeutc exercise aimed at dispelling lingering fears but a valuable contributon to "save" those destned to undergo a similar experience, transforming trauma into something constructve. Conversatons about lights, unique observatons, and the behaviour of domestc animals hold great potental in the more serene re-enactment of the event in childrens. Recognizing that dear pets and companions have also experienced it creates a shared understanding that helps individuals discuss their emotons, potentally making the event seem less dauntng. What favors this form of communicaton from the typically probabilistc communicaton? Individuals who undergo the harrowing ordeal of an earthquake ofen wonder if they will face such an experience again. However, the probabilistc approach states that we don't know and that it is not possible to know. Moreover, a purely probabilistc approach concentrates exclusively on the epistemological aspects of acquiring informaton about future earthquakes by relying on past series of events. It overlooks the essental consideraton of the earthquake's nature, its ontology. Consequently, communicaton based on a probabilistc approach falls short.