30413 - Philosophy Laboratory (1) (G.G)

Learning outcomes

The student learns to read and critically analyze philosophical texts and to write a philosophical essay.

Course contents

General Information

The Philosophy Workshop has three main purposes: education to philosophical writing and editorial conventions; introduction to the use of bibliographic resources; introduction to how to read a philosophical classic and how to produce a short philosophical essay about it.
The success of workshops ideally requires regular attendance of all students at all meetings. In order to be admitted to the final exam and achieve a pass, students will need to have attended at least 12 out of 15 classes (24 hours out of 30).
Students can choose from several proposals of Philosophy Workshops. Programmes and teachers’ names are available on the website of the First Cycle Degree/Bachelor in Philosophy (corsi.unibo.it/1cycle/Philosophy). Up to 40 students may attend each laboratory. Classes will be given in Italian or in English, as indicated by each teacher on their laboratory web pages.
Please enrol via Studenti On Line (studenti.unibo.it/sol/welcome.htm), by clicking on the tab “Prenotazioni” and the workshop of your choice. Enrolment begins on the 1st of September, 2023.
Attendance — both face-to-face and online, if streaming is activated — will be verified by signature on sign-in sheets or by log-in online. In the light of several unpleasant episodes of signature falsification in recent years, in the event that it is proved that even a single signature has not been made by the corresponding student, that student will be excluded from the final exam and will have to wait until the next year to attend the Workshop again. The same standards will hold for students submitting written exams which are totally or partially copied from published sources or digital texts.
Only in the event of certified inability to attend the Workshop are students allowed to arrange an alternative programme with the relevant teacher of the module in question. Such cases include:
- working students who cannot obtain specific permission to attend the Workshop. These students shall inform the teacher at the beginning of the module and provide a declaration of their employers stating their inability to attend.
- students who are participating in exchange programmes (Erasmus, Overseas, etc.). These students shall promptly provide documentary evidence to the teacher showing their inability to attend on grounds of residence abroad.
For attending students assessment will consist in the submission and discussion of a short essay on the philosophical text discussed in the Workshop attended. The essay will be evaluated both for form and for content. During the laboratory, teachers will provide instructions on how to write the final essay, and all students are requested to download and study the manual of philosophical writing, which can be found at corsi.unibo.it/laurea/Filosofia/laboratorio-di-filosofia-norme-per-la-redazione-del-saggio-finale (in Italian).

This seminar will focus on Bertrand Russell's classic text The Problems of Philosophy. This book is extraordinary in several ways. Conceived as an introduction to philosophy, it was very popular and still serves its purpose after more than a century. At the same time, it sums up the philosophical views of its author at the time of its writing in a clear and accessible manner. Russell was an immensely influential figure in the twentieth century, as a logician, a philosopher, and a public intellectual.

The book focuses on questions of epistemology and metaphysics (What can we know for certain? What exists?), engaging critically with classic authors, especially Kant, and ends with a chapter on the value of philosophy. The perspective defended by Russell is a mixture of empiricism and Platonism. Even more than that perspective the way the questions are presented and discussed was very influential, as we will try to show.

Readings/Bibliography

Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy, 1912. The text is available free of copyright from various sources. 

Teaching methods

After a few introductory classes on the rules of philosophical writing and composition and on the main bibliographical tools for philosophical research, the focus will shift to the analysis and discussion of Russell's book. The teacher will put it in context and introduce its main argumentative moves. Then participants will work in small groups on different aspects of the text and will present them for general discussion.

Assessment methods

Students will be assessed by means of a final written paper (between 2000 and 3000 words, references excluded) to be handed in by e-mail at least 15 days before the exam date.

The exam is meant to assess the achievement of the expected learning outcomes, in particular the acquisition of critical abilities and writing skills. Essays will be assessed on a range of factors, including how well the argument is sustained and use of philosophical written language.

The paper will focus on the topics of the workshop, taking up the aspects that each person will have illustrated in the group presentation, or choosing others as desired. The texts must be written in correct Italian (or English if needed) and comply with the drafting rules that will have been learnt during the first part of the workshop.

Teaching tools

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 Daniele Sgaravatti