Teaching code

4S012298

Teacher

Luigina Mortari

Coordinator

Luigina Mortari

Credits

6

Also offered in courses:

• Philosophy of care of the course Master's degree in Philosophy

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

M-PED/01 - PEDAGOGY, THEORIES OF EDUCATION AND SOCIAL EDUCATION

Period

Sem. 2A dal Feb 16, 2026 al Mar 26, 2026.

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The course argues the primacy of care in human existence starting from a phenomenological analysis of being, which highlights its constitutive incompleteness, vulnerability, neediness and relationality. After dealing with the Socratic conceptualisation of self-care as care of the soul, the main contributions deriving from twentieth-century and contemporary philosophy to the delineation of a theory of care with relevant ethical and political implications will be presented. Knowledge and understanding: at the end of the course, students should know the ontological qualities that characterise the essence of being, the conceptualisations of care proposed by philosophers who have reflected on this phenomenon, the essential qualities of care as a practice, the virtues that underlie acting with care and the virtues of political action oriented by the perspective of care; they should also have understood the relationship between ethics and care, between care and justice, and between care and virtues. Applying knowledge and understanding: at the end of the course, students should be able to argue the ontological primacy of care starting from the phenomenological analysis of experiences of care, they should be able to identify the virtues of care in the testimonies of good care, they should be able to recognise the indicators and the ways of being of care in practice, they should be able to discuss together about horizons of thought inspired by a political perspective informed by the principle of care. Making judgements: at the end of the course, students should have developed the ability to critically reflect on the addressed issues and the ability to critically investigate contexts from the proposed theoretical perspective. Communication skills: at the end of the course, students should have acquired the ability to use appropriately the terminology of the philosophy of care, and to discuss the issues addressed by the course both in a philosophical debate and in a conversation with practitioners. Learning skills: at the end of the course, students should have learned the ability to investigate the addressed issues through rigorous research in the literature, being able to distinguish between theoretical and empirical literature.

Prerequisites and basic notions

No one

Program

The time we are living in is often dull, sometimes dark. It happens when we lose attention for the things that are truly important. The practice of care is fundamental for life: taking care of oneself, of others, of institutions, of nature. Without care, there cannot be a good life for the human being. But in a neoliberal culture, care does not find the due consideration. It is essential, therefore, to rediscover care as an essential quality of the human condition by working, first of all, on oneself, learning the art of existing, understood as the ability to give meaning to time and to lead an authentic life starting from the knowledge of one's interiority, which can only be achieved through comparison with the outside world. The course intends to address the theoretical cruxes of the philosophy of care, in its declinations towards the self and towards politics, arguing its fundamental ethical direction.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
* mandatory text: Mortari, L. (2019). Aver cura di sé. Milano: Raffaello Cortina

* choose one of the following texts:
- Mortari, L. (2024). La sapienza politica. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.
- Mortari, L. (2023). Sull’etica della cura. Milano: Vita e Pensiero.
- Mortari, L. (2021). La politica della cura. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Frontal lessons; Argumentative writing practices, individual and group; Group conversations.

Learning assessment procedures

The assessment of learning will be in written form through open-ended questions related to the topics in the exam texts. The test lasts two hours.

Evaluation criteria

Students must demonstrate:
* knowledge of the fundamental concepts present in the exam texts;
* ability to argue theoretical positions;
* use precise and adequate vocabulary to support arguments.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

Each answer to the open questions will be evaluated with a grade (the maximum of which will depend on the complexity of the question itself). The sum of the grades assigned to each question will make up the final grade in thirtieths.

Exam language

italiano

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