00399 - Theoretical Philosophy (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course you will have gained access to some major themes and figures in the history of philosophy, and the discussion of some perspectives emerging from contemporary thought will enable you to relate with the "perennial" character of philosophical work.

Course contents

Course title: The Reasons of Man. Kant, the Anthropological Problem and the Emergence of Psychology in the Modern Sense

At the end of The Order of Things, Foucault states that the epistemological paradigm at work in the field of the “human sciences” is nothing more than the result of a recent invention whose origin we have forgotten and whose disappearance is imminent, like a face of sand on the edge of the sea. Whether one agrees with Foucault’s famous thesis or not, one thing is certain: after Kant and since the beginning of the 19^th century, the problem of man has been articulated according to a conceptual reconfiguration that radically transforms the relations between the sciences and, consequently, the method and questions of philosophical inquiry. The aim of the course is to measure the impact of this transformation, paying particular attention to the invention of modern psychology, in the function of which we will analyse a series of systematic effects that are decisive for the settlement of the forces at play in the context of contemporary philosophy, at the turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

This will initially involve: (i) understanding the positioning of knowledge about man (anthropology, empirical and rational psychology) within the Kantian system of thought; (ii) understanding the meaning of the anthropological problematic starting with Kant, in the light of readings by Heidegger and Foucault. In a second step, the focus will be on “after Kant” and, in particular: (iii) on the dialogue between philosophy and the sciences, rearticulated according to the theoretically fundamental relationship between “thought” and “reality” (Trendelenburg); (iv) on the overcoming of the Kantian prohibition of the possibility of a scientific psychology and its corresponding emergence between the first and second half of the nineteenth century (Fechner, Wundt, Brentano, Dilthey, Stumpf); (v) on the attempt to establish the “human sciences” or, to use the German equivalent, the “sciences of the spirit” as distinct from the “natural sciences” (Dilthey).

The first lesson will be devoted to an introduction to theoretical philosophy.

Readings/Bibliography

Kant: Logic, Laterza, 2004 (selected passages, see Virtuale); Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View, Einaudi, 2010 (selected passages, see Virtuale); Critique of Pure Reason (“Architectonics of Reason”, selected passages, see Virtuale); Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics (selected passages, see Virtuale) 

F. Brentano, La psicologia dal punto di vista empirico, Laterza 1997 (Book I: pp. 61-91; Book II: pp. 143-166 [OPTIONALLY, for those who wish to study further, also Book II: pp. 167-204])

W. Dilthey, Scritti filosofici, UTET, 2013 [due to the electronic format, the page numbers of the parts indicated below may vary depending on the way they are displayed]:

- I. 'Studies for the Foundation of the Sciences of the Spirit': Ch. I, 'The Psychic Structural Connection'; Ch. III, 'The Delimitation of the Sciences of the Spirit'

- II. The Construction of the Historical World in the Spiritual Sciences: Ch. I: 'Delimitation of the Spiritual Sciences'; Ch. III: 'General Principles Concerning the Connection of the Spiritual Sciences'.

C. Stumpf, The Rebirth of Philosophy. Essays and Lectures, Quodlibet 2009 (pp. 3-32)

W. Wundt: "Lineamenti di psicologia", in Opere scelte, UTET 2009 (pp. 93-118); "Philosophy in Germany", in Mind (1877), pp. 493-518.

M. Foucault, The Order of things. An Archaeology of the Human Sciences, Rizzoli 2013 (ch. 9: pp. 371-421)

M. Heidegger, Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics, Laterza, 1981/2010 (pp. 178-211)

Secondary literature

R. Fabbrichesi (a cura di), Il primo libro di filosofia teoretica, Einaudi, Torino 2023, pp. 3-17.

R. Martinelli, Man, Nature, World. The Anthropological Problem in Philosophy, Il Mulino 2004

E. Melandri, Le ricerche logiche di Husserl. Introduction and commentary on the first research (Part I), Il Mulino 1990 [OPTIONAL]

One of the following two texts:

L. Mecacci, Storia della psicologia. Dal Novecento a oggi, Laterza, 2019 (chapters I-II)

or

R. Luccio, Dall'anima alla mente. Breve storia della psicologia, Laterza, 2014 (chapters I-II-III).

The use of the following philosophical dictionaries, the introduction to Brentano’s and Dilthey’s thought as well as the handbooks are at the discretion of the students:

F. Bianco, Introduction to Dilthey, Laterza, 2001

B. Cassin, Dictionary of the Untranslatable. A Philosophical Dictionary, Princeton University Press 2014

The Routledge Handbook of Franz Brentano and the Brentano School, 2017

For a better understanding of the issues outlined, the student is invited, if he or she deems it appropriate according to his or her knowledge of philosophy, to use any textbook of philosophy. Among the various ones, I recommend (just as an indication)

- Giuseppe Cambiano, Massimo Mori, Storia e antologia della filosofia, Laterza, Rome 1993 et al.

- Fabio Cioffi et al, Il testo filosofico, Mondadori, Milan 1992 et seq.

- Mario Dal Pra, Sommario di storia della filosofia, La Nuova Italia, Florence 1987

- N. Abbagnano, Storia della filosofia, vol. 3 & 4, UTET 2017 et seq.

All the bibliographical material and handouts for each topic and author will be available on Virtuale.

Teaching methods

Classroom lectures, reading and commentary on texts and primary sources, discussions on specific topics, lectures in dialogue format.

The course will take place during the first semester, first and second periods (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday). Each class starts after the academic quarter hour.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of an oral interview, which will assess the knowledge of the texts and the ability to critically discuss the proposed issues.

Grade assessment criteria:

30 cum laude: Excellent, both in knowledge and in the critical and expressive articulation.

30: Very good. Complete, well-articulated and correctly expressed knowledge, with some critical insights.

27-29: Good. Comprehensive and satisfactory knowledge, substantially correct expression.

24-26: Fairly good. Knowledge is present in the main points, but it is not comprehensive and not always correctly articulated.

21-23: Sufficient. Sometimes superficial knowledge, but the common thread is understood. Incomplete and often inappropriate expression and articulation.

18-21: Almost sufficient. Superficial knowledge, the common thread is not understood with continuity. Expression and articulation have significant gaps.

Not sufficient: Absent or very incomplete knowledge, lack of orientation in the discipline, defective and inappropriate expression.

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

PowerPoint, Panopto, Virtuale.

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 Emanuele Mariani