Teaching code

4S007338

Credits

6

Coordinator

Giorgio Erle

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

M-FIL/03 - MORAL PHILOSOPHY

Courses Single

Authorized

Moodle Seminars 0

The teaching is organized as follows:

Learning objectives

Ethics of Relation The course is aimed to understand the ethical relationship by the point of view of the rational foundation of ethics: in order to this, the course is based on the knowledge of texts of the twentieth century or contemporary philosophy (referring to the ethical meaning of living in the “polis”, to communication ethics and dialogue, to the relationship to environment and aesthetics) and to the knowledge of the origins of the various ethical theories connected to those texts; this way the course aims to promote the skill to apply theoretical and methodological tools in order to develop ethics of relation in the areas that affect the life of the human being in relationship with the community, with the natural and social environment and with culture and science, producing so an organic and systematic overview that by the use of the logical-argumentative competence allows to develop a personal critical reflection and actualization concerning the ethical, relational, communicative and cultural sphere.

Prerequisites and basic notions

This course has no prerequisites apart from the basic knowledge of the history of philosophy.

Program

Responsibility for the human being, responsibility for nature: Hans Jonas's philosophy from the point of view of the ethics of relation.
The path aims to delve deeper into the meaning of ethical relations according to the responsibility that everyone has towards human beings and nature. It will be shown how, in Hans Jonas's thought, these aspects are connected through ontology-based ethics. To this end, among other things, the following elements will be developed:
- Introduction to the ethics of relation;
- Responsibility towards human beings;
- A new categorical imperative;
- A renewed ontology and the relationship with nature;
- The ethics of the future: us and other generations;
- The paradigms of the theory of responsibility according to Jonas;
- Being and ought to be in a relation;
- What does freedom have to do with evolution?
- The relationship with the world: from natural needs to openness towards encounters;
- A metaphysical lexicon for an ethics of relation?
- In the exercise part, in-depth work and discussion will be proposed on the relationship between ontology and ethics in Jonas's vision and how this is reflected in understanding the ethical relationship of the human being "for" the human being and in that with nature.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The teaching methods consist of lectures and exercises. During the lectures, the analysis, commentary, and discussion of the reference texts listed in the “Bibliography” section will be carried out, thus addressing the program contents from the perspective of the teaching objectives. As anticipated above, the exercise will take place through in-depth work and discussion on the relationship between ontology, responsibility, and ethics of the relation starting from the concepts presented in the reference texts. Both lectures and exercises will be held face-to-face in the classroom. Lectures will also be recorded and made available each time for later viewing in the course's e-learning. However, the exercises will not be recorded.
The reference texts indicated in the "Bibliography" section are mandatory for both attending and non-attending students, specifying that the attendance of the exercise part requires the active participation of students. Therefore, non-attending students will carry out the exercise work by writing a paper concerning the program's topics consisting of a minimum of 20000 and a maximum of 25000 characters (including spaces) to be sent to the teacher. This essay must be submitted by non-attending students (via e-mail to the teacher's institutional e-mail address) one week before the official exam so that the teacher has the time necessary to formulate a judgment (which will contribute to the final evaluation during the exam as described below in the section "Learning assessment procedures").

Learning assessment procedures

The exam consists, both for the attending and non-attending students, of an oral exam concerning the program and the mandatory reference texts listed in the “Bibliography” section, as well as an evaluation of the exercise activity carried out.

Evaluation criteria

To pass the exam, students will have to demonstrate that they have achieved the learning outcomes; therefore, the following will be verified:
1) The knowledge and interpretative skills acquired concerning the mandatory reference texts and the teaching program in the light of a valid critical and hermeneutic approach to those same texts and addressed issues;
2) Acquired skills on a methodological and logical-argumentative level;
3) Skill to develop a personal critical reflection and actualization regarding the ethical, relational, communicative, and cultural spheres, starting from the addressed issues.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The assessment will concern both parts of the course (lessons and exercises): the grade will be single and expressed in thirtieths at the end of the oral exam described above.

Exam language

Italiano.

Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs

This initiative contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030. More information on sustainability