Annals of Geophysics, 55 (3), 2012: Foreword and Acknowledgements 331 ANNALS OF GEOPHYSICS, 55, 3, 2012; doi: 10.4401/ag-6100 FOREWORD This is the first volume of an international scientific journal that is dedicated to issues of geoethics and geological culture. Its goal is to inform the Italian and international scientific communities about what emerged at the Geoitalia 2011 conference, attended by not only Italian geoscientists. At this conference, the geoscientists questioned their role in society and the responsibilities that they have to assume as scholars of the planet Earth and experts of the territory. They highlighted the need for rediscovery of the cultural values of geology as a science that can contribute to the construction of correct social knowledge, and the need to be aware that geoethics cannot exist without a real awareness among geoscientists of the cultural value of the Earth sciences. The papers collected here offer many reflective cues across many themes. These include the philosophy of science, sociology, information and education about natural phenomena in both developing and developed countries, scientific communication and the relationships between science, the media and policy makers, environmental sustainability and geodiversity, recovery of historical memory as a factor to prevent natural disasters, and the contribution of geological culture to the strengthening of the link between the identity of populations and their territories. This volume aims to contribute to the international debate on geoethics through articles that show not only activities and practical experiences, but also that provide more general reflections. This allows us to recover the true meaning of being geoscientists and to highlight the active roles we can have in promoting new cultural values in modern society, on which to build a more conscious relationship between man and Nature. Silvia Peppoloni, Giuseppe Di Capua, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The quality of this special issue was improved by peer-reviewers in several disciplines. Many thanks go to: Raffaele Azzaro, Josè Brilha, Marcello Bruognolo, Elena Camino, Pietro Paolo Cannistraci, Sergio Castenetto, Mauricio Compiani, Elena Ferrero, Jesus Frias Martinez, Teodoro Georgiadis, Roberto Greco, Shrikant Limaye, Ruggero Matteucci, Stefano Moriggi, Annibale Mottana, Mario Panizza, Sandra Piacente, Telmo Pievani, Roberto Scandone, Stefano Solarino, and Janusz Wasowski Special thanks go to: Franco Ferrarotti and Giulio Giorello, for their kind collaboration and exquisite courtesy. 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