You’re holding a collection that has a subtitle—"texts on occasion"—because it includes essays and articles written "on assignment": for themed magazine issues, or based on papers delivered at conferences devoted to different fields of knowledge, as well as articles of sharply polemical character… Different "occasions"—different topics. Why do people have to create an enemy for themselves? When does a human embryo acquire a soul? How does technical progress change the essence and tasks of the diplomatic service?
Often these texts are humorous or even parodic in tone—that is, Eco wrote them intending to entertain both himself and his listeners.