Studying at the University of Verona
Here you can find information on the organisational aspects of the Programme, lecture timetables, learning activities and useful contact details for your time at the University, from enrolment to graduation.
Type D and Type F activities
Modules not yet included
Ontology (2020/2021)
Teaching code
4S007322
Teacher
Coordinator
Credits
6
Language
Italian
Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)
M-FIL/01 - THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY
Period
Sem. 2B dal Apr 14, 2021 al May 29, 2021.
Learning outcomes
The course of Ontology aims to equip students with the main landmarks and conceptual tools of the philosophical questioning on being.
In addition to the knowledge of the history of Western philosophical thought and its main conceptual lines, particular attention will be given to the knowledge of modern and contemporary philosophical debate. The course aims to develop the following skills:
- ability to understand philosophical texts;
- ability to use an appropriate philosophical terminology;
- ability to compare peculiar aspects of the thought of the past with themes and / or authors of our time;
- ability to communicate philosophical topics with specialists and non-specialists;
- ability to to continue their studies at a MA level.
Program
SYLLABUS
“The issue of the knowledge of the self, the outside world and their reality between critico-experimental philosophy, solipsism and empiricism. The philosophies of John Locke, George Berkeley and David Hume”.
In the context of the theoretical reflection of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, we will focus on the issue of knowledge of the self, the so-called “outside world”, the relationship between mind and world, and their ontological status, as Locke, Berkeley and Hume proposed, in order to find both the epistemological grounds and the problematic aspects of their views.
DIDACTIC METHODS
The teaching methods consist of traditional lectures (online, by means of the tools made available by the University of Verona) axed on the reading and the comment on Locke’s Essay concerning Human Understanding, Berkeley’s Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision and Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge and, finally, Hume’s Treatise of Human Nature. The aim is: 1) to transmit the key concepts of theoretical philosophy with regard to the ontology; 2) to transmit the key concepts of the thought of the three philosophers; 3) to transmit the critical means that are useful for understanding (and for dealing with) the issues involved in the knowledge of the self and the so-called “external world”, on the one hand, and the issues which concern the “realism” and the ground (and value) of the ontological concepts.
Each lesson will be recorded and (together with the materials examined during the course) uploaded on the e-learning platform of the University (as mp3 files, or file video via Panopto), with the aim of easing the study for both attending students and those who can not attend lectures.
During the academic year, an individual consultation service is also available (at the teacher's study, by e-mail, or via Zoom/Skype) at the times indicated on the web pages (and readily updated), or agreed with the teacher (especially in the case of telematic meetings).
Any suspension of lectures for academic reasons will be readily communicated in the classroom, on the web site, and on the e-learning platform forum.
REFERENCE TEXTS
The texts required are a selection of texts taken from:
1. John Locke’s Essay concerning Human Understanding;
2. George Berkeley’s Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision;
3. Id., Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge;
4. David Hume’s Treatise of Human Nature.
All the anthological materials will be uploaded (in full compliance with copyright laws) on the e-learning platform of the University website.
The reference texts are the same for both attending students and not attending ones.
Additional texts and teaching materials will also be communicated on the e-learning platform of the University website.
| Author | Title | Publishing house | Year | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Berkeley | Opere filosofiche | UTET | 2007 | 978-88-02-07790-1 | |
| John Locke | Saggio sull'intelletto umano (Edizione 1) | Bompiani | 2004 | 88-452-1210-6 | |
| David Hume | Trattato sulla natura umana (Edizione 2) | Bompiani | 2005 | 88-452-9133-2 |
Examination Methods
The assessment of the learning outcomes of both the key concepts and the issues which concern the themes and the philosophers examined will be done by means of an oral examination (face-to-face or via Zoom/Skype) concerning the programme carried out during the course.
This examination consists of questions to test the critical and argumentative abilities of the students, the textual exegesis, the conceptual clarity, and the acquisition of an adequate philosophical vocabulary.
The grades are expressed in thirtieths (and in special cases the mention of praise is also granted).
The examination is the same for both attending students and non-attending ones.
