Teaching code

4S007313

Teacher

Guido Cusinato

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

M-FIL/01 - THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY

Period

Sem. 1B dal Nov 15, 2021 al Jan 12, 2022.

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars

To show the organization of the course that includes this module, follow this link:  Course organization

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide the conceptual, methodological and cultural foundations to enquire into the meaning of philosophy as an exercise in maieutic transformation. This objective will also be achieved by pointing to how theoretical philosophy converges with other disciplines (in particular, anthropology, sociology and theology).

Students will learn specific terms and essential conceptual and methodological research skills that may provide helpful insight into core issues of theoretical philosophy. They will also acquire the ability to autonomously make critical judgments about the topics discussed in the module and deal appropriately with the given bibliographical and multimedia research tools.

Program

The topic of the module: Philosophy as an exercise in transformation and Descartes’s dream
The first part of the course discusses philosophy as an exercise in transformation. In the second part, this question will be tackled, referring to one of the most prominent classic philosophers, René Descartes, who, according to Foucault, deviated philosophy into the “philosophical discourse”. This course will seek to develop a different view on how, instead of letting the epistemological dimension (know thyself) prevail over the dimension of transformation (cura sui), Descartes interweaved both in his “Discourse on the Method”. After all, the “Discourse” entails various autobiographical mentions that can be pieced together to depict how Descartes himself performed the philosophical exercise in transformation. By also drawing on other texts, the course will attempt to retrace this pathway of transformation till Descartes’s three famous dreams burst in and announced him a “new science”.

References:
Cartesio, Discorso sul metodo, (any integral edition will do)
Cusinato, Periagoge, Verona 2017 (except Chapter 3 and 8)

The recorded lectures are an integral part of the examination.
Students are invited to contact the lecturer to discuss any doubts, queries or questions concerning their preparation for the examination.

Bibliography

Examination Methods

The exam will assess whether students possess 1) deep knowledge of the main specific issues dealt with during the course and 2) the capacity to give an independent reflection on theoretical implications of those issues, using a language pertinent and appropriate to them.

There will be an oral examination. The examination is based on the recorded lectures and two texts of the student’s choice. The student can also take the examination by discussing a written paper as a writing exercise, especially if there is a specific interest or motivation. The topic of the paper must be agreed upon in advance with the lecturer during his office hours. The paper (about 20,000 characters long) must be delivered by e-mail seven days before the examination date. The file, in Word format, should be titled with the student’s SURNAME, NAME, TITLE OF THE COURSE. The paper should be thought of as a logically ordered list of the passages from the reference texts which impressed mostly or aroused interest. The own comments and the quotations should not be confused, so the latter should be placed in quotation marks along with the page numbers. The final part of the paper should be devoted to a short chapter on “Personal Reflection” (a couple of pages) in which the student can refer to her/his own experience or other texts.