LAB (2010–2026)

The Laboratorio di Autoricerca di Base (LAB – Laboratory of Basic Self-research) is a private organization founded in 2010 by Massimiliano Sassoli de Bianchi. Its mission was to develop and disseminate competences and knowledge aimed at maximizing human potential, through a pluralistic vision that encouraged the crossing and integration of different methods of inquiry, like that of the modern scientific research, mostly carried out in the third person, and of the more traditional inner research (self-research), typically conducted in the first person.

In pursuit of its mission, the LAB sponsors fundamental research programs, particularly in physics and consciousness studies, the broad dissemination of educational texts, the organization of seminars, courses, practices, conferences, and individual meetings. It also publishes the open access journal AutoRicerca, dedicated to both inner and outer research, with texts in Italian, English and Portuguese.

The LAB ceased its activities in 2026. Some of the practices previously offered by the LAB have been integrated into the cultural activities of Area 302. For more information, visit:
https://area302.ch

AutoRicerca

AutoRicerca, the official journal of the LAB, was published regularly from 2011 to 2026, with an average frequency of two volumes per year. Its mission was to present texts in both Italian and English – and on one occasion also in Portuguese – devoted to both inner and outer research. From its very first issue, the journal positioned itself outside conventional editorial categories, offering contributions of diverse kinds: articles, dialogues, manuals, monographs, and short stories, all personally selected by its Editor, Massimiliano Sassoli de Bianchi, founder and director of the LAB.

The history of the journal and of the LAB is recounted in rich detail and through numerous anecdotes in the final volume, No. 33, currently in preparation, written by its Editor, who over the years has also been the principal contributor to AutoRicerca. This concluding volume may also be read as an extensive reading guide to the issues published over the course of fifteen years.

Recognizing the importance of a foundational, integral, and interdisciplinary approach to knowledge, the published works explored the frontiers between different fields of inquiry. Even when positioned at an academic or specialist level, they consistently sought to remain as accessible as possible to the non-academic reader, provided they were driven by curiosity, possessed a basic scientific and philosophical background, and were open to a form of inquiry free from rigid compartmentalization.

AutoRicerca did not limit itself to the transmission of theoretical or practical knowledge, but also aspired to inspire. For this reason, its pages include texts capable not only of broadening the reader’s intellectual horizons, but also of touching a deeper and more human dimension.

Moreover, in accordance with the Berlin Declaration, which affirms that the dissemination of knowledge remains incomplete if information is not made widely and readily accessible to society, AutoRicerca adopted an open-access model from the outset. Electronic versions of the volumes have always been freely downloadable, while the purchase of the printed editions offered readers a way to provide modest support to the journal’s cultural mission, which was never guided by economic considerations.

Although the LAB and its journal concluded their mission in 2026, efforts will be made to keep this website active so that the published contents may continue to inspire future readers.

A note of clarification: AutoRicerca was not a peer-reviewed journal in the conventional sense of the term. Articles and essays were selected directly by the Editor, on the basis of their interest, relevance, and capacity to stimulate and inspire the reader. This editorial choice entailed assigning full responsibility for published contents to the authors themselves, rather than relying on a standardized process of external review.

It should nevertheless be observed that, although peer-review constitutes one of the defining features of contemporary academic publishing, not all journals make use of it, nor do all researchers base their research exclusively on peer-reviewed articles. In certain fields, such as theoretical physics, it is common practice to make extensive use of non-peer-reviewed works disseminated through public electronic archives. Numerous studies have also pointed out that the reliability of peer-review has remained relatively limited over time. Consequently, while it represents a valuable evaluative instrument, it cannot provide an absolute guarantee of the relevance or accuracy of a publication, but only of its conformity with the prevailing forma mentis within a given historical and cultural context.

Authors

In alphabetical order, the 52 authors who contributed to AutoRicerca are the following:

Alessandro Arlati
Andrea Di Terlizzi
Andrea Pasotti
Antonella Spotti
Autori Anonimi
Cristiane Gaspar
Diana Alstad
Diederik Aerts
Diego Cardellicchio
Donatella Galli
Elisita Smailus
Federico Faggin
Federico Milanesi
Flávio Amaral
Francesca Vicky Scher
Galileo Galilei
Giulia Ruffino
Giuseppina Angioni
Jacques Humulle
Joel Kramer
Kevin de La Tour
Kigen William Ekeson
Laurent Testot
Leonardo Chiatti
Luca Panseri
Luca Sassoli de Bianchi
Lucie de Fernex-Ferrata
Luigi Faggella
Massimiliano Sassoli de Bianchi
Michele Tuzio
Nadav Hadar Crivelli
Nanci Trivellato
Nelson Abreu
Olivier Auber
Patrizia Verdiani
Raphaël Goblet
Ravi Ravindra
Roberto Rini
Roberto Scavino
Rodrigo Montenegro
Samantha Caccamo
Sandie Gustus
Sandro Sozzo
Sara Chessa
Serena Luce Castaldi
Tomas Veloz
Timothée Parrique
Valentina Corvi
Valéry Schneider
Vincent Mignerot
Vittorio Demetrio Mascherpa
Wagner Alegretti

Collaborators

In alphabetical order, the individuals who, in different ways and capacities, supported the Editor’s work over the years are the following:

Cristiane Gaspar
Francesca Vicky Scher
Luca Panseri
Luca Sassoli de Bianchi
Paola Patocchi
Sara Chessa
Valentina Corvi