39424 - History of Contemporary Philosophy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The subject of the History of Contemporary Philosophy is the still open horizon of a reflection that, in the 20th century, has been changing. Its aim is to introduce the student to the themes of a post-metaphysical thought which, while characterising the latest developments in philosophical debate and extending into the most diverse cultural spheres, are rooted in the experience of man today. The ideas of the end of the subject, the death of God, the overcoming of the foundation, and the denunciation of logocentrism, which decide contemporary philosophy, and are also embodied in our existence, will, from time to time, be at the centre of the course. The aim, then, is to introduce the student to a past that is being asserted in the present. Precisely because it has as its object the world in which we are involved, the course aims to contribute to the student's acquisition of awareness and critical capacity.

Course contents

Dialectics of the Enlightenment in the 20th century philosophical debate between France and Germany

 

The course questions the outcome of the 20th century debate between France and Germany on the status and limits of modern rationality in the light of the Kantian motto Sapere aude!, "have the courage to use your intelligence". Answering the question What is the Enlightenment?, Immanuel Kant summarises in 1784 the speculative-practical normativity of an entire century: the Enlightenment is that period of history which in the principle of the public use of reason recognises its uniqueness with respect to the past. In the course of the twentieth century this movement became the target of controversy, attacks, idealisations: between those who conceive it as a closed period of history, those who conceive it as an unfinished project, and those who conceive it as an eternal category of thought. What is the legacy of the cultural revolution that questioned the status of knowledge and its limits, the relationship between state and religion, the origin of power and language? Following the analysis of some of Kant's texts (to which the first part of the course will be dedicated), two fundamental interpretations of the twentieth century will be examined: Michel Foucault's historical-epistemological and anthropological reflection, which re-launches Kant's commitment to a critical philosophy by turning it against the humanistic structure of modern rationality; the Frankfurt School's meditation on the destructive character of the Enlightenment as a process of increasing power and totalitarian overthrow of the emancipatory thrusts of reason. Two reflections in comparison, between France and Germany, which recover the Kantian request of philosophizing critically understood as the faculty of asking what is the relationship between power, truth and subject.

Readings/Bibliography

M. Foucault, Le parole e le cose, Milano, Rizzoli, 1988 (pagine scelte)

Che cos'è la critica, Bologna, DeriveApprodi, 2024.

Che cos’è l’Illuminismo?, trad. it. di S. Loriga, in Archivio Foucault, 3. 1978-1985, Estetica dell’esistenza, etica, politica, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1998, pp. 217-232, 253-261.

M. Horkheimer, T. W. Adorno, Dialettica dell’Illuminismo, Torino, Einaudi, 2010 (pagine scelte)

Selected parts of the following texts will be collected in the handouts of the "teaching materials" at the link of the course's webpage.

 

Studies

2 texts of your choice:

E. Weil, Problemi kantiani, Urbino, QuattroVenti, 1976 

M. Fimiani, Foucault e Kant. Critica clinica etica, Napoli, Città del Sole, 1997

R. Leonelli, Illuminismo e critica. Foucault interprete di Kant, Macerata, Quodlibet, 2017

J. Revel, Michel Foucault, un’ontologia dell’attualità, Soveria Mannelli, Rubbettino, 2003

D. Donna, I diagrammi della filosofia. Una storia eretica della filosofia contemporanea in Francia, Modena, Mucchi, 2024

D. Donna, Dispersione Ordine Distanza. L’Illuminismo di Foucault Luhmann Blumenberg, Macerata, Quodlibet, 2020

A. Honneth, Critica del potere. La teoria della società in Adorno, Foucault e Habermas, Bari, Dedalo, 2002

R. Wiggershaus, La Scuola di Francoforte. Storia, sviluppo teorico, significato politico, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1992

P. Virno, Avere. Sulla natura dell’animale loquace, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2020

P. Descola, Par-delà nature et culture, Paris, Gallimard, 2005.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures and reading of texts in the classroom, together with discussion of the most important topics and direct participation of the students.

Students are invited to prepare a short presentation lasting 15 min, discussed in class, on the topics of the course, or a topic chosen in agreement with the teacher, which will contribute to the final evaluation. Active participation in the seminar will be a fundamental aspect for the success of the course. For non-attending students: oral exam + essay (3000 words excluding bibliography).

Assessment methods

The attendance of the entire course corresponds to 6 credits. The programme is unique for both attending and non-attending students.

The oral examination takes place in the teacher's studio and tends to verify:

1. the historical-philosophical knowledge acquired through attendance at the lessons, the study of the basic texts and the relative bibliography
2. the degree of understanding and critical reworking of the proposed content
3. expressive skills and the ability to orient oneself among the main lines of interpretation

The registration for the exam is online on the ALMAESAMI website.

 

Verification criteria
30 cum laude: excellent proof, for solidity of knowledge and critical processing skills

30: excellent proof, adequate knowledge and expressive richness

 27-29: good proof, satisfactory knowledge, correct expression

24-26: discrete proof, non-exhaustive and partially correct knowledge

21-23: sufficient proof, general knowledge, confused expression

18-21: barely sufficient proof. Poor articulation and relevant theoretical gaps

<18: insufficient proof, missing or incomplete knowledge, lack of guidance in the argument

 

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)
Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders are entitled to special adjustments according to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact teachers or Department staff, but make an appointment with the Service. The Service will then determine what adjustments are specifically appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page:
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Teaching tools

A collection of texts will be made available to articulate the debate on the legacy of the Enlightenment in the history of contemporary philosophy.

Office hours

See the website of Diego Donna