75834 - History of Humanist Philosophy

Learning outcomes

Through texts and authors deemed to be emblematic, the course aims at the acquisition of basic knowledge regarding philosophy from the second half of the fourteenth century to the end of the sixteenth century. Students will be led to recognize the main topics of Italian humanism and grasp relationships and intersections between speculative thought, philology and theory of the arts. One course objective is to enable students to master the lexis (Latin and Italian) of humanistic philosophy and be versed in the main historians’ interpretations as to Renaissance movements.

Course contents

Diana, Actaeon, Apollo and the 'divine image
Nature, knowledge and poetry in Giordano Bruno


The De gli eroici furori, the last of Bruno's 'Italian dialogues' (1585), is the source from which to address Bruno's symmetry between the universe (infinite) and knowledge (infinite). In addition to the philosophical themes dealt with by the dialogue and Bruno's thought (the infinite, the shadow, the vicissitude, God, the soul of the world, etc.), the course will emphasise the role played by myth and language in the constitution of 'Nolan philosophy', dwelling on the 'mixed' character of the writing, in which theoretical content intertwines with poetry, the emblem and the symbol force the discursive value of traditional philosophical prose.

Attention will also be drawn to the role played by the poet Luigi Transillo in the Furori, in which he is a spokesman for Brunian thought.

Readings/Bibliography

Students are required to know Bruno's dialogue in one of the following editions:

Giordano Bruno, De gli eroici furori, a cura di N. Tirinnanzi, Milano, BUR 1999; oppure Giordano Bruno, De gli eroici furori a cura di M. Ciliberto, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2005 (e ed. successive).

They must further have read one of the following articles (two for students who did not attend classes)

P. Sabbatino, “Scuoprir quel ch’è ascosto sotto questi sileni”. La forma dialogica degli Eroici furori, “Bruniana e Campanelliana” 5/2 (1999), pp. 367-380.

I.D. Rowland, Giordano Bruno e Luigi Transillo, “Bruniana e Campanelliana” 9/2 (2003), pp. 345-355

J. Vanacker e S. Verhulst, Atteone furioso. La caccia alla divina conoscenza negli Eroici Furori di Giordano Bruno, “Rivista di Fliosofia”, 65/4, 2010, pp. 695-717

and one of the following books (two for students who did not attend classes)

R. Sturlese, Dio, universo, uomo. Studi e ricerche su Giordano Bruno, Pisa, Edizioni della Normale, 2020

S. Carannante, Unigenita natura. Dio e universo in Giordano Bruno, Roma, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2018

N. Tirinnanzi, Umbra profunda. L’immaginazione da Ficino a Bruno, Roma, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2000

F. Yates, Giordano Bruno e la cultura europea del Rinascimento, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1995

Teaching methods

30 lectures

During the lectures, the most significant core elements of the Dialogue will be presented and interpreted in the context of Bruno's philosophy and Renaissance culture.

It is suggested to acquire the text before the beginning of the course and bring it to class.

Students are advised to visit the teacher's web page regularly on which any information and changes useful to those attending the course will be uploaded.

Assessment methods

Oral examination: Students are recommended to bring the texts when examining.The interview focuses mainly on analysis and critical interpretation of the sources.
Students who have attended lectures may agree on exams (whether written or oral) devoted to specific topics.

Assessment criteria and thresholds of evaluation:

30 cum laude - Excellent as to knowledge, philosophical lexicon and critical expression.

30 – Excellent: knowledge is complete, well argued and correctly expressed, with some slight faults.

27-29 – Good: thorough and satisfactory knowledge; essentially correct expression.

24-26 - Fairly good: knowledge broadly acquired, and not always correctely expressed.

21-23 – Sufficient: superficial and partial knowledge; exposure and articulation are incomplete and often not sufficiently appropriate

18-21 - Almost sufficient: superficial and decontextualized knowledge. The exposure of the contents shows important gaps.

Exam failed - Students are requested to show up at a subsequent exam session if basic skills and knowledge are not sufficiently acquired and not placed in the historical-philosophical context.

Teaching tools

At the conclusion of each 'chapter' of the course (every 3-6 lessons) the topics and issues addressed will be summarized and outlined through short presentations accessible online.

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students .

Office hours

See the website of Annarita Angelini