27306 - Philosophies of India and Eastern Asia (1)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide the student with a basic knowledge of the topics and problems concerning the religious traditions and philosophical thought of East Asia. By its conclusion, the student will be able to discuss the subjects in both writing and orally employing the appropriate terminology and displaying a critical appreciation of the bibliographical material.

Course contents

Introduction:

1. The philosophical comparison and philosophical encounters between Europe and India: History of Orientalism, methods and aporias.

2. An ethical path crossing cultures (commented reading of key texts for the understanding of the ethical doctrines in South and East Asia).

 

Part One:

Logical-epistemological and metaphysical themes dealt with by major classical and post-classical Indian philosophical schools.

Part Two:

What is yoga? The nature of consciousness and meditative techniques.

Philosophical descriptions of the aesthetic and mystic experiences.

Readings/Bibliography

Sferra, F. (a cura di), Filosofie dell'India, Roma. Carocci, 2018 (for the examination only the reading of chapters 1, 9 and 10 is required).

- Franci, G.R., Yoga , Bologna 2008.

- Bori, P.C. / Marchignoli, S., Per un percorso etico tra culture, Roma 2004 (for the examination only the reading of Chinese and Indian texts is required).

- Marchignoli, S., L'India filosofica: un percorso tra temi e problemi del pensiero indiano, Bologna 2005 (a copy is always available at the library Giorgio R. Franci via Zamboni 33; the text can be bought, even as an electronic book, from the university service of the publisher Bonomo).

- Torella, R., Il pensiero dell'India. Un'introduzione, Roma 2008 (for the examination  only the chapters 8, 9 and 10 are required)

Recommended reading:

-Franci, G.R., Yoga , Bologna 2008.

Teaching methods

The course consists of taught classes. The teacher will regularly use pdf files for commented text readings.

Assessment methods

Written and oral examination.

The written test precedes the oral exam.

The oral test consists of the discussion of a brief work carried out by the student (see below the list of themes for the elaborate) and in short talk from the correction of the answers to the open questions of the written test.

The written test consists of 2 parts:

Part One) Texts Recognition Test: The student will have to recognize at least 7 out of 10 tracks from the Indian and Chinese texts anthologized in A) Per un percorso etico tra culture, B) L'India filosofica and C)  Sferra, F. (a cura di), Filosofie dell'India; in particular (attention: Indian words are written without the usual diacritics): A) Per un percorso etico tra culture: Il Grande Studio, Mencio, Daodejing, Bhagavadgita, Katha-upanisad, Discorso della messa in moto della ruota della legge, Brani dal Dhammapada: XII and XV, Sutra del cuore, “Editto” XII di Asoka.. B) from L'India filosofica: Nagarjuna: la dottrina delle due verità; Nagarjuna: critica dei mezzi di conoscenza; I Vaisesikasutra sulla cognizione dell'irrealtà; La relazione tra purusa e prakrti nel Samkhya; C) from Sferra, F. (a cura di), Filosofie dell'India: Bhagavadgitabhasya di Sankara ad 18.66; Yuktidipika ad Samkhyakarika 2ab.

If the student does not pass the texts recognition test (the result is immediate) he / she will not be able to continue the exam.

Part two) Answer to three open questions.

Lastly, the student will have to hand over to the teacher, at the exam (not earlier), a very short written paper (up to 5,000 characters, or two pages approximately) on a topic chosen from the list published at the bottom of this section.

The oral examination consists in a brief discussion of this very short paper.

The paper will not be considered admissible if it does not have the following formal characteristics: 1) quotations always accompanied by the bibliographic reference of the source; 2) short final bibliography prepared by choosing and applying uniformly one of the bibliography models accepted in the academic publications.

 

Grading is based primarily on an assessment of the student's preparation, but will also take into account her/his ability of analysis and synthesis, clarity in both written and oral exposition, and use of an appropriate language.

More specifically:

• An comprehensive vision of the topics dealt with in the course, the capacity for their critical analysis, and the use of a precise and appropriate terminology, will be evaluated with excellent to good marks;
• A good / acceptable, but not in-depth knowledge of the subject, a limited ability in elaborating a synthesis and in producing an analysis, a use of an acceptable but not always accurate language, will be evaluated with marks ranging form mere pass level to average;
• The lack of knowledge of the topics dealt with, the lack of preparation in elaborating analysis and synthesis, the use of inaccurate terminology and the lack of familiarity with the course bibliography, will lead to the failure to pass the examination.

List of themes for the short written work (attention: Indian words are written without the usual diacritics):

 

Liberation in Samkhya

"maya" in Sankara

The nature of the yogic consciousness in Hegel

The Purvamimamsa: general characteristics

The Purvamimamsa and philosophical defense of the eternity of language

The school of Pratyabhijna

Emptiness in Nagarjuna

"Adrishta"

The atman-Brahman in the Upanishads

The four noble truths in the canon and Nagarjuna

The two truths in Nagarjuna

The aesthetics of Abhinavagupta

Outlines of the history of Buddhism in India

Outlines of the history of Jainism

Evolutionary lines of logic in India

The inferential scheme in Nyaya

The Patanjali Yoga: general characteristics

Logic-epistemology in Dignaga

Nagarjuna: general characteristics of his thought

Sankara: general characteristics of his thought

Sankara and Samkhya

Buddhist schools

History of Indian logical view by Europeans

Theory of the dispute and medicine

Theories of consciousness in Indian thought

Indian materialism

 

If the course is part of an Integrated Course, the evaluation will be the arithmetic mean resulting from the final grades of the two courses.

 

Office hours

See the website of Saverio Marchignoli