00961 - History of Philosophy (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

Students learn to become familiar with trends, issues, important authors of modern philosophy, and to orient themselves in its historical interpretations. They are trained in the critical reading of philosophical texts, and in evaluation of argumentative and rhetorical strategies.

Course contents

STORIA DELLA FILOSOFIA

THE PHILOSOPHERS AND THE QUESTION OF THE SELF



The course is divided into three parts:

A. lecture course
B. institutional part

C. Seminars

A. Lecture course

The course intends to examine some theories of the subject and personal identity in modern philosophy, with particular attention to the pronominal question - as to say “Ego” in philosophy - and to the problem of the definition of consciousness.

The following works or parts of them will be read:

I.Descartes, Mediations on the First Philosophy

II.Malebranche, The Search After Truth, L. III, 1-2, L. III, II, 1-5.

III.Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book II, ch. XXVII

IV. Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature, Book I, P. IV. Sect. VI, sect. VII

V. Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, Trascendental Dialectics.

N.B. The student is required to study only four of the texts indicated above. Students are required to arrange with the teacher the english edition or translation of the texts.

Bibliography

Please note the following general bibliography, useful for following the lecture course:

J.A. Perkins, The concept of the Self in French Enlightenment, Genève, Droz, 1969;

A. Badiou, Théorie du sujet, Paris, Seuil, 1982;

B.Glyn Davies, Conscience as consciousness : the idea of self awareness in French philosophical writing from Descartes to Diderot, Voltaire Foundation, Oxford, 1990;

P. Ricœur, Soi-même comme un autre, Paris, Seuil, 1990;

Ch. Taylor, The Sources of the Self. The Making of the Modern Identity, 1989;

S. Merchior-Bonnet, Histoire du miroir, Paris, Imago, 1992;

E. Balibar, Identité et différence, L’invention de la conscience, Paris, Seuil, 1998;

M. Foucault, L’herméneutique du sujet, Cours au Collège de France, Paris, Gallimard, 2001.

B. Institutional part

The aim of the institutional course is to follow the basic lines of the history of modern philosophy from Descartes to Kant, which the student must know starting from the study of a manual for high schools: as an indication, Storia della filosofia con testi e letture critiche edited by F. Adorno, T. Gregory, V. Verra (Bari, Laterza 1979, rist., Vol. II), Storia della filosofia edited by F. Restaino (Torino, Utet 1999, Vol 3/1 and 3/2), Storia della filosofia moderna edited by M. Mori (Bari, Laterza, 2005), Storia della filosofia moderna edited by G. Belgioioso (Le Monnier University, 2018).
The institutional part is completed by an index and a collection of texts related to the monographic course “The Ego's Lexicon” by the teacher. This collection is available to students at the Didactic Secretariat of the Department of Philosophy and Communication, Via Zamboni, 38, II.

 

C. SEMINARS

SEMINAR I - Philosophers enounciate the "Ego"

Text:

Spinoza, Ethics (Vth part)

SEMINAR II - Philosophers tell the "Ego"

Texts:

Montaigne, Essays, Book I, Chapters. XXV-XXVI ; Book III, Chapter II

Pascal, Pensées: The human condition; Disproportion of man, deceptive faculties; Insufficiency of

J.-J. Rousseau, Moral Letters, III, IV

N.B. Students are required to arrange with the teacher the english translation of the texts.

The student is required to follow and to prepare for the exam only one seminar (I or II). The seminar format engages students in active participation.

Readings/Bibliography

For the bibliography, see the program.

Teaching methods

Lectures concern specific themes, and intend to analyze them in reference also to the peculiarities of historical contexts, the diversity of cultures and of philosophical problems, and, finally, the determination of intellectual options of individual philosophers. The predominantly seminar format of the lessons involves students in an independent and shared research, conducted with bibliographic tools and discussed in dialogic forms of scientific communication.

Assessment methods

The oral examination tends to verify
1. historical and philosophical knowledge acquired through the class attendance, the study of the texts and bibliography, contextualising them in historical and philosophical traditions;
2. the level of critical assimilation of conceptual contents;
3. the property and the adequacy of linguistic expression;
4. the knowledge of the main lines of classical interpretations.

The examination provides an opportunity for further discussion and further dialogue with the professor. In this sense, students are also invited to examine particular subjects close to the topics of the lectures.

Assessment criteria and assessment thresholds:
30 cum laude: Excellent, excellent solidity of knowledge, excellent expressive properties, excellent understanding of the concepts.
30: Very good, complete and adequate knowledge, well-articulated and correctly expressed.
27-29: Good, satisfactory knowledge, essentially correct expression.
24-26: Fairly good knowledge, but not complete and not always correct.
21-23: Generally sufficient knowledge but superficial. Expression is often not appropriate and confused.
18-21: Sufficient. The expression and articulation of the speech show important gaps.
<18: Insufficient knowledge or very incomplete, lack of guidance in discipline, expression seriously deficient. Exam failed.

Teaching tools

The lectures aim to examine classical texts, which are available in Italian and English translation, but with many references to the original language.

Seminars offer the reading of significant texts of philosophical debate around the theme of the lectures course, extending it with references to some other authors. The student is required to follow and to prepare for the exam only one seminar (I or II). The seminar format engages students in active participation.

Office hours

See the website of Mariafranca Spallanzani [https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/mariafranca.spallanzani/en]

 

GENERAL WARNINGS

The program is unique, for attending and non-attending students.
The exam is only oral and is held in the study of Prof. M. Spallanzani (Department of Philosophy ans Communication Studies, Via Zamboni, 38, IV floor). Registration for the exam is carried out on the ALMAESAMI website.

Readings/Bibliography

Texts and bibliography are indicated in the program.

Teaching methods

Lectures concern specific themes, and intend to analyze them in reference also to the peculiarities of historical contexts, the diversity of cultures and of philosophical problems, and, finally, the determination of intellectual options of individual philosophers. The predominantly seminar format of the lessons involves students in an independent and shared research, conducted with bibliographic tools and discussed in dialogic forms of scientific communication.

Assessment methods

The oral exam, which takes place in the teacher office (Via Zamboni, 38, 4th floor), tends to verify:

1. the historical and philosophical knowledge, the study of texts and bibliography ;

2. the level of conceptual assimilation and critical elaboration;

3. the properties of language and expression;

4. the ability of orientation of the main lines of classical interpretation and contemporary historiography.

Exam registration is available on-line at AlmaEsami

Assessment criteria and assessment thresholds:

30 cum laude: oustanding

30: excellent

29-27: very good

26-23: satisfactory to adequate

22-19: poor to barely adequate

18: minimum passing grade

< 18: fail

Teaching tools

A. The lectures aim to examine classical texts, which are available in Italian and English translation, but with many references to the original language.

B. The general part follows the basic lines of the history of modern philosophy from Descartes to Kant, that the student must study on a high school manual. For example: Storia della filosofia con testi e letture critiche by F. Adorno, T. Gregory, V. Verra ( Bari, Laterza 1979, rist., vol. II), Storia della filosofia by F. Restaino (Torino, Utet 1999, vol. 3/1 e 3/2), Storia della filosofia moderna by M. Mori (Bari, Laterza, 2005).

The igeneral part is completed by an index and a collection of texts related to the monographic course “Ego Lexicon” by the teacher. This collection is available to students at the Didactic Secretariat of the Department of Philosophy and Communication, Via Zamboni, 38, second floor.

Office hours

See the website of Mariafranca Spallanzani