Teaching code

4S007315

Teacher

Davide Bondì

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

M-FIL/06 - HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

Period

Sem. 2B dal Apr 4, 2022 al Jun 4, 2022.

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

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

Learning outcomes

In addition to providing a general overview of the main authors and schools of modern and contemporary philosophy as essential moments in the history of Western thought, the course aims to train students in the use of their own philosophical terminology and to teach them the critical use of the original text in order to acquire central philosophical problems and concepts. The student will also be able to communicate philosophical arguments to specialists and non-specialists, and to continue his or her studies in the Master's programme.

MODULE 1:
The course aims to provide an introduction to the history of modern philosophy and its terminology, with a focus on critical comparison with the most significant texts as well as the problems and concepts that arise there. The expected learning outcomes are:
- Knowledge: 1) Knowledge and ability to understand the philosophical contexts of modernity (historical-cultural contexts, philosophical traditions); 2) Knowledge and ability to understand the theories of the major authors of the history of modern philosophy; 3) Knowledge and ability to understand the philosophical vocabulary developed in the modern age.
- Skills: 1) Application of the acquired knowledge and understanding to the critical reading and commentary of philosophical texts, possibly in the original or in any case with references to the original, evidenced by the acquisition of an appropriate vocabulary and the ability to identify interpretative problems and propose possible solutions; 2) Development of autonomous judgement and independent reasoning skills; 3) Acquisition of communication skills in the following activities Participating in guided discussions, exposing one's own ideas and defending them with arguments, and possibly presenting short papers/reports; 4) Development of autonomous learning skills through an appropriate methodology of study and interpretation of both texts and contexts.

MODULE 2:
This course aims to introduce students to the history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century philosophy. At the end of the course the student should be able to demonstrate an ability to learn and have knowledge and understanding of the authors and texts covered. In addition to providing a general overview of the main authors and schools of contemporary philosophy, the aim is to train students in the use of their own philosophical terminology and to teach the critical use of the original text, in order to acquire central philosophical problems and concepts.

Program

PREREQUISITES: Knowledge of the history of ancient, medieval and modern philosophy.


COURSE TITLE: Dialectics, Life and Existence. The preeminent directions of contemporary philosophy.

The course will be divided into two parts:

1) The lectures of the institutional part will focus on European philosophy of the 19th and 20th centuries, illustrated through three introductory paths. Within each thematic path, the philosophical profiles of very significant authors of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries will be placed. For the "dialectic": Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Karl Marx and Benedetto Croce; for the conceptual binomial "life-nothing": Giacomo Leopardi, Arthur Schopenhauer and Henri Bergson; for "existence": Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre. It is possible that, compared to this course, the teacher will present slight variations in the choice of authors to be taken into consideration.

2) The monographic part illustrates a theme particularly relevant to contemporary philosophical thought. The general problem of 'history' is in fact one of the main reasons of the theoretical orientations examined in the institutional part of the course (dialectics, life and existence) and it reappears, with different values, in many twentieth-century discussions. It will be presented on the basis of a short and dense text by Friedrich Nietzsche: On the Usefulness and Harm of History for Life (1874).

TEACHING METHODS:
The course will be taught in accordance with the University's COVID-19 regulations. It will consist of frontal lectures that will be alternated, where possible, with discussions led by the teacher and short reports of the students (optional) on previously agreed topics. The plurality of teaching methods is designed to suit the student, who will be provided with as wide a spectrum of learning opportunities as possible in order to guarantee, in presence or at a distance, the acquisition of both the knowledge and the skills set out in the training objectives.


COMPULSORY REFERENCE TEXTS FOR BOTH ATTENDING AND NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS:

1) G. Cambiano and M. Mori, Tempi del pensiero. Storia e antologia della filosofia, 3. Età contemporanea, Laterza, Roma - Bari 2012 (also other year edition or other textbook to be agreed with the teacher);

2) Teaching material uploaded on the e-learning platform related to the paths on dialectics, life and existence introduced in the institutional part of the course;

3) F. Nietzsche, L'utile e il danno della storia per la vita, Adelphi, Milan 2016 (or other year's edition).

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS
4) must supplement the study of the texts indicated in points 1, 2 and 3 with additional teaching material relating to the monographic part that the lecturer will make available to them on the e-learning platform.

Bibliography

Examination Methods

Oral examination (face-to-face or by distance learning according to the University's COVID-19 regulations).

The examination will aim at ascertaining the achievement of the twofold educational objectives of the course (knowledge/understanding and ability) with particular attention to the ability to compare the authors dealt with, and will be structured as follows:

1) Institutional part: (autonomous) delineation of a transversal path within contemporary thought: the student will have to demonstrate the possession of information and key notions, the ability to present them in an organic way and to follow their diachronic development. To this end, the student will have to prepare a 10-minute oral presentation dedicated to an in-depth study of a theme, an idea or a concept in three philosophical authors/movements, chronologically distributed so as to cover the two centuries in the programme and at least two different linguistic areas. The in-depth study can (but does not necessarily have to) consist of commenting on selected passages, which should then be sent by email to the lecturer before the exam. Sample dossiers, which are the subject of the first part of the course, will be uploaded on e-learning and students can use them as a model for a course on the same subject, but with significant variations to demonstrate independence of study;

2) Monographic part: answer to one or more questions on Nietzsche's text and thought: the student will have to demonstrate the ability to formulate precise definitions, possibly connecting them to each other, and the acquisition of a solid method of textual analysis.

Each part of the exam contributes equally, therefore 1/2, to the determination of the final grade. Non-attending students must also study the additional didactic material mentioned in point 4.