Teaching code

4S00805

Teacher

Davide Bondì

Coordinatore

Davide Bondì

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

M-FIL/06 - HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

Period

Sem. 2A dal Feb 14, 2022 al Mar 26, 2022.

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars

Learning outcomes

History of Contemporary Philosophy The course aims to present the lines of development and the main currents of contemporary philosophy. The most general study is accompanied by the appropriate insights of the major figures of contemporary thought, also through the analysis of one or more of their fundamental works. At the end of the course, students will deepen their knowledge and comprehension of Western philosophical tradition and its main conceptual lines by acquiring a thorough knowledge of the authors and texts analyzed in the course. They will also develop their capacity to communicate philosophical contents to specialists and non-specialists alike, and the capacity to continue their studies at a higher level.

Program

COURSE TITLE
Antonio Labriola's 'philosophy of praxis' and the debate on Marxism on the threshold of the twentieth century.

COURSE CONTENTS

The course focuses on Antonio Labriola's philosophy, conceived by the author himself as a "critical exposition of Karl Marx's thought". This exposition substantiates an antidogmatic version of "historical materialism", opposed to the totalizing conceptions of human events because it is based on the theory of social work (praxis) and on the critique of ideologies. Compared to the other versions of Western Marxism (Lukács, Gramsci, Horkheimer and Adorno), Labriola problematizes the connection between Marx's thought and Hegel's (I), argues the inherence of philosophy in the sciences (II), identifies in morphology and in the typological concept (or with a determined content) the method of the new "philosophy of history" (III), preserves to the latter a directive role in the comprehension of the present and an autonomous function to direct action.
The teacher will comment the pages of the essays on historical materialism dedicated by Labriola to the subject, dwelling also on the theses of his interlocutors. Among these, stand out Benedetto Croce and Giovanni Gentile, whose contributions on Marxism appeared in the last five years of the nineteenth century. For an adequate understanding of the printed works, reference will be made both to the correspondence between the three scholars and to excerpts of unpublished manuscripts that will be made available to students during the lessons.
In the debate on historical materialism that took place in Italy between 1895 and 1900, three important trends in the cultural climate of the 20th century were forged: the 'philosophy of praxis' bequeathed by Labriola to Antonio Gramsci, the 'philosophy of the spirit' of Benedetto Croce and the 'philosophy of action' of Giovanni Gentile. Capable of considerable expansive force, these three tendencies represented for future generations basic orientations to be carried out or, on the contrary, polemical objectives to be fought but, in any case, it would be difficult to understand the present theoretical horizon without reckoning with or, worse, removing our past. The objective of the course is therefore to acquire a critical and non-apologetic awareness of the events of philosophy in Italy on the threshold of the twentieth century.

ARTICULATION OF THE COURSE

1. In the first part of the course, with attention paid to recent historiographical proposals, an examination of the notion of 'Italian thought' or 'Italian philosophy' will be attempted, in order to sound out its historical-theoretical sustainability and identify the limits within which it can be accepted.
2. In the second part, we will focus on the interpretations of Marx's thought spread in the Second International, showing the insistence of German scholars on economic or strictly political aspects in the face of disinterest and, often, lack of understanding of its philosophical core.
3. In the third part we will show the attention paid by Labriola to the theoretical core of Marxism. Not only, the author made a critical reading of the most important writings of Marx in order to bring out his philosophy, but he commented critically on them, integrating and developing in his own way the founding principles. From this effort was born the concept of philosophy of praxis as the cornerstone of the materialist interpretation of history.
4. We will consider, finally, the essays that Croce and Gentile dedicated to the same theme, showing the dynamics of understanding-incomprehension, acquisition and dissent that led them in very different directions.

Bibliography

Examination Methods

Oral Examination.

The exam will focus on the analysis and commentary of the compulsory texts assigned (see Materials, point 1). Attending students are also required to know the critical examination proposed by the teacher during the lessons. Non-attending students will have to integrate their knowledge of the compulsory texts with the study of at least two essays of interpretation among those indicated in Materials, point 2 (the teacher will make these available on the e-learning platform). The essays will have to be chosen paying attention to the fact that one aims at exposing Labriola's thought, the second at Croce's or Gentile's thought. All students will have to demonstrate an understanding of the themes dealt with and the acquisition of a critical method in the analysis of the texts and in the reflection on their theoretical implications.