Learning outcomes

The expression "philosophy of language" is particularly problematic. What does it mean to practice a philosophy of language, if language is the tool philosophy uses to produce concepts? So: how can philosophy reduce to object the most important part of the act through which philosophy comes into being? And what does language “say”? Is there really such thing as a philosophy of language?

Program

In our every day life a lot of things happen: we wake up in the morning, we go out for a walk, go to work, we get bored, we get excited, we fall in love, we fall asleep ... Some things we can tell, and often we succed in telling them well: it seems that language is an appropriate tool to give shape and duration to what is happening. Other times it seems that words are not enough, because what happens escapes the grasp of the language and thus also of the concept. But does something happen if there are no words to say? " No thing is there, where the word is lacking", writes the poet Stefan George. Was he right or not? Is there any such thing as an unspeakable event? The event and the world are escaping the grasp of the language or not? The experience in which the happening world seems to be perfectly adequate to what we understand of it is art, and from that experience we will start.


- M. HEIDEGGER, "L'origine dell'opera d'arte", in "Sentieri interrotti", La Nuova Italia, Firenze 1999
- - J. DERRIDA, "Psyché. Invenzioni dell'altro", in ""Psyché. Invenzioni dell'altro, vol. 1", Jaca Book, Milano 2008
- S. ŽIŽEK, "Evento", UTET, Torino 2014
- P. DRIEU LA ROCHELLE, "Fuoco fatuo", SE, Milano 2002
- L. VON TRIER, Melancholia, Danimarca 2011 (movie)

Examination Methods

Oral exam

Teaching materials e documents

•   Agamben, "L'uso dei corpi"   (pdf, it, 2006 KB, 09/11/15)
•   Derrida, "Psyché. Invenzioni dell'altro"   (pdf, it, 14009 KB, 23/09/15)
•   Heidegger, "Contributi alla filosofia" - 1   (pdf, it, 4050 KB, 05/10/15)
•   Heidegger, "Contributi alla filosofia" - 2   (pdf, it, 1126 KB, 05/10/15)
•   Heidegger, "Contributi alla filosofia" - 3   (pdf, it, 1925 KB, 05/10/15)
•   Heidegger, "Contributi alla filosofia" - 4   (pdf, it, 1925 KB, 05/10/15)
•   Heidegger, "Contributi alla filosofia" - 5   (pdf, it, 1754 KB, 05/10/15)
•   Heidegger, "Contributi alla filosofia" - 6   (pdf, it, 3344 KB, 05/10/15)
•   Heidegger, "Identità e differenza"   (pdf, it, 2559 KB, 09/11/15)
•   Heidegger, "L'origine dell'opera d'arte"   (pdf, it, 2710 KB, 20/09/15)
•   Heidegger, "Tempo e essere"   (pdf, it, 6402 KB, 09/11/15)