28019 - History of Medieval Philosophy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

Students have an advanced understanding of the relevance of a multidisciplinary approach to the analysis of the philosophical schools in the ancient and Medieval ages and are able to analyze religious phenomena seen through the lens of multiple tools from several disciplines. They apply research methods to address issues relating to ancient and medieval philosophy. They are capable to give form to the results of their own research on Medieval Philosophy, documenting in an accurate and complete way the information on which they base their conclusions and giving an account of the methodologies and research tools used.

Course contents

Inanimate and living entities. Introduction to Albert the Great's philosophy of nature (ca. 1193-1280)

"Making the essential parts of Aristotle's philosophy intelligible to the Latins". This is the goal that Albert the Great, a 13th-century Dominican theologian, set himself in 1250, when he began reading and paraphrasing all of Aristotle's works, whose Latin translations had been circulating in the libraries of convents and monasteries for a few decades. The study of the soul, principium animatorum, had a prominent role within this vast project. Examining Aristotle's biological writings and the tradition of commentaries on them means discussing some important questions of natural philosophy: What properties distinguish an inanimate entity from a living one? What operations make it possible to establish a hierarchy between animate beings? What relationship is established between the sublunar world and the movement of the celestial bodies?

The aim of the course is to read and comment on the Italian translation of some passages from De mineralibus and De natura et origine animae by Albert the Great in order to reflect on some fundamental concepts of his philosophy of nature, such as virtus formativa and inchoatio formarum, and to explore the Latin, Arabic and Jewish philosophical and scientific sources that influenced it.

 

Course summary

Of the 15 lectures (of two hours each):

• 3 lectures will be devoted to a general introduction to medieval philosophy, with a focus on the philosophical and theological context characterising the 13th century;

• 3 lectures will be devoted to a general presentation of Albert the Great's natural philosophy;

• 9 will be devoted to the reading (in Italian translation) and analysis of passages from De mineralibus and De natura et origine animae.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Introduction to the history of medieval philosophy

• G. Catapano, Filosofie medievali. Dalla tarda antichità all'Umanesimo, Carocci, Roma 2024 (ISBN:9788829023912), pp. 9-225.
  

2. Albert the Great. Texts

• Albertus Magnus, Mineralia, tr. 1, cc. 5-6, ed. A. Borgnet, Vivès, Paris 1890, pp. 7a-9b. (Italian translation will be available on Virtuale)
  
  
• Albertus Magnus, De natura et origine animae, tr. I, cc. 3-6, ed. B. Geyer, Aschendorff, Münster 1955, pp. 6-14. (Italian translation will be available on Virtuale)
  
  

3. Critical studies (one of the listed texts)

• A. Cerrito, Albert the Great (c.1193-1280) and the Configuration of the Embryo. Virtus formativa, Palgrave-Macmillan, Cham 2023, pp. 13-44 (Open Access);
  

• A. Cerrito, Albert the Great (c.1193-1280) and the Configuration of the Embryo. Virtus formativa, Palgrave-Macmillan, Cham 2023, pp. 45-88 (Open Access);
  
  
• K. Reeds, Alberto e la filosofia naturale della vita delle piante, in: J. Weisheipl (ed.), Alberto Magno e le scienze, ESD, Bologna 1994, pp. 367-380;
  
  
• J.M. Riddle and J.A Mullholland, Alberto, le pietre e i minerali, in: J. Weisheipl (ed.), Alberto Magno e le scienze, ESD, Bologna 1994, pp. 219-246;
  
  
• A. Takahashi, Nature, Formative Power and Intellect in the Natural Philosophy of Albert the Great, in: Early Science and Medicine, 13 (2008), pp. 451-481.

 

For NON-attending students:

The following text is recommended reading:

- L. Sturlese, Storia della filosofia tedesca nel Medioevo. Il secolo XIII, L.S. Olschki, Firenze 1996, pp. 69-125.

 

Teaching methods

The course includes a series of introductory lectures and subsequent guided reading of the texts under examination.

Some of the texts listed in the bibliography, as well as any slides, will be made available on Virtuale. Therefore, it is advisable to wait until the course begins before obtaining exam materials.

The lectures will NOT be recorded.

Assessment methods

Oral Examination. It is recommended to have the texts with you in the examination.

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 correctly expressed.

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

18-20 - 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.

 

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Difficulties (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Difficulties have the right to special adjustments according to their condition, following an assessment by the Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the instructor but get in touch with the Service directly to schedule an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine the appropriate adjustments. For more information, visit the page:

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Teaching tools

Some texts of bibliography and eventual slides shown during the course will be available on Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Colli