90065 - Classics in the History of Philosophy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The course "Classics in the History of Philosophy" intends to provide students with the opportunity to practice reading classics of philosophy in the original language (English, French, German) in order to deepen on them the semantic and conceptual questions connected with the historical transformations of the philosophical expression, to favor the comprehension of the peculiar meanings of the specialized language in the diachrony of its forms and to acquire the critical awareness of the theoretical and interpretative problems connected with the translation of complex texts.

Course contents

CLASSICS IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

Prof. Mariafranca Spallanzani

THE INVENTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS

The course intends to follow the formation of the modern psychological concept of conscience which in the seventeenth century philosophy denotes the relationship of self to self of the individual or group, gradually differentiating itself from its original meaning in the moral sphere. In this perspective, we will examine the lexical variations on the frontier between the ancient and the modern which translate a concept being defined - the psychological concept of consciousness and self-consciousness -, and which, in their semantic polysemy, reveal the emergence of a theoretical reflection on the problematic object of a new research: the subject in his identity, in his autonomy, his freedom and in his own responsibilities.

The course will be organized in two ways which include lectures (about 20 hours) and seminars (about 10 hours) with readings of texts in the original language. The course is in English.

LECTURES

AN ARCHEOLOGY OF THE CONSCIOUSNESS

The lectures will examine some particularly significant texts of the seventeenth-century debate on the modern notion of consciousness and self-awareness, Descartes being the background of this semantic and conceptual revolution, Locke, Malebranche and Leibniz protagonists of the broad semiotic and philosophical debate of the so-called “Cartesian age”.

We will read the following texts or parts of them in the original language. During the lectures, the teacher will provide English translations of the French and Latin texts. In any case, there are Italian editions of the indicated texts which present the original text (English, French or Latin) opposite.

1. Descartes, Meditationes de Prima Philosophia: Meditatio II; Secundæ Responsiones
2. N. Malebranche, De la recherche de la vérité, L. III, P. II, Ch. VII
3. G. W. Leibniz, Monadologie, Sect. 17.
4. J. Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, II, 1, § 4-9; II, 27.

SEMINARS

As part of the course, two seminars will be organized: the first one declines the concept of consciousness in the moral and political sphere, the second one examines the theme of consciousness in the light of the contemporary philosophy of the mind.

Seminar I.

LIBERTAS PHILOSOPHANDI/FREEDOM OF CONSCIOUSNESS We will read the following texts or parts of them:

1. Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-politicus (Præfatio, chap. VII, chap. XX)
   
2. P. Bayle, Commentaire philosophique (Discours Préliminaire; P. I, 1-3; P. II (10-11).

Seminar II.

THE HARD PROBLEM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

We will read the following texts or parts of them:

1. G. Ryle, The concept of Mind, University of Chicago Press, 1949 (ch. 1)

2. D.C. Dennet, Consciousess Explained, London, Penguin Books, 1991 (P. II, 5).

N.B. The student is required to study the texts of a single seminar for the exam.

N.B. The course will be held only remotely via the web

 

WARNINGS

The exam is oral only and is held in the Department of Philosophy and Communication, Via Zamboni, 38. Exam registrations are made through ALMAESAMI.
The program is unique, for attending and non-attending students.


LESSONS AND RECEPTION TIMETABLE
Lessons are held in the second semester, IV period, according to the following schedule:
Monday h 15-17 (room XI, Via Zamboni, 38);

Tuesday h.9-11 (room VII, Via Zamboni, 38);

Wednesday h 15-17 (room XI, Via Zamboni, 38).

Classes will begin on March 22, 2021.

The teacher receives on Thursday, 10.00 am.

Readings/Bibliography

For the texts, see the program.

Please note the following general bibliography, useful for following the thematic path of the monographic course.

C. Taylor, Sources of the Self. The Macking of the Modern Identity, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1989; C. Glyn Davies, Conscience as consciousness: the idea of self awareness in French philosophical writing from Descartes to Diderot, The Voltaire Fondation, 1990; B. Baertschi, Les rapports de l’âme et du corps: Descartes, Diderot et Maine de Biran, Paris, Vrin, 1992 e Conscience et réalité. Etudes sur la philosophie française au XVIIIe siècle, Genève, Droz, 2005; E. Balibar, Identité et différence. L’invention de la conscience, Paris, Editions du Seuil, 1998 e Citoyen sujet et autres essais d’anthropologie philosophique, Paris, PUF, 2011; V. Carraud, L’invention du moi, Paris, PUF, 2011, S. Heinämaa, V. Lähtenmäli, P. Remes (eds), Consciousness: From Perception to Reflection in the History of Philosophy, Berlin, Heidelberg, Springer Science & Business Media, 2007; K. Enenkel, W. Melion (eds), Meditatio. Refashioning the Self. Theory and Practice in Late Medieval and Early Modern Intellectual Culture, Leiden, Brill, 2011; R. Glauser, Conscience et connaissance de la pensée chez Descartes, in S. Charles, S. Malinowski-Charles (dir.), Descartes et ses critiques, Presses de l’Université de Laval, Editions du CIERL, 2011, pp. 13-32; F. Paglieri (ed.), Consciousness in Interaction. The Role of the Natural and Social Environment in Shaping Consciousness, Amsterdam, J. Benjamins, 2012; R. Palaia (a cura di), Coscienza nella filosofia della prima modernità, Firenze, Olschki, 2013; C.A.Viano, La scintilla di Caino. Storia della coscienza e dei suoi usi, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2013; G. Vigarello, Le Sentiment de soi. Histoire de la perception du corps, Paris, Éditions du Seuil, 2014; A. Dewalque, C. Gauvry (dir.), Conscience et représentation. Introduction aux théories représentationnelles de l’esprit, Paris, Vrin, 2016 ; G. Strawson, The Subject of Experience, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2017; P. Audi, Analyse du sentiment intérieur, Paris, Verdier, 2017 ; J. A. van Ruler, La découverte du domain mental: Descartes et la naturalisation de la conscience, in “Noctua”, 2017, 3 (2), pp. 239-294; P. Ludwig, Cogito et connaissance de soi introspective, in “Methodos” [En ligne], 18 | 2018; L. Simonetta, La connaissance par sentiment au XVIIIe siècle, Paris, Champion, 2018.

Teaching methods

The lectures concern specific themes, and intend to analyze them in reference also to the peculiarities of historical contexts, the diversity of cultures and of philosophical problems, and, finally, the determination of intellectual options of individual philosophers. The predominantly seminar format of the lessons involves students in an independent and shared research, conducted with bibliographic tools and discussed in dialogic forms of scientific communication.

Assessment methods

The exam is oral.

The oral examination tends to verify:
1. historical and philosophical knowledge acquired through the class attendance, the study of the texts and bibliography, contextualising them in historical and philosophical traditions;
2. the level of critical assimilation of conceptual contents;
3. the property and the adequacy of linguistic expression;
4. the knowledge of the main lines of classical interpretations.

The examination provides an opportunity for further discussion and further dialogue with the professor. In this sense, students are also invited to examine particular subjects close to the topics of the lectures.

Assessment criteria and assessment thresholds:
30 cum laude: Excellent, excellent solidity of knowledge, excellent expressive properties, excellent understanding of the concepts.
30: Very good, complete and adequate knowledge, well-articulated and correctly expressed.
27-29: Good, satisfactory knowledge, essentially correct expression.
24-26: Fairly good knowledge, but not complete and not always correct.
21-23: Generally sufficient knowledge but superficial. Expression is often not appropriate and confused.
18-21: Sufficient. The expression and articulation of the speech show important gaps.
<18: Insufficient knowledge or very incomplete, lack of guidance in discipline, expression seriously deficient. Exam failed.

Teaching tools

The lectures aim to examine classical texts, which are available in Italian and English translation, but with many references to the original language.

Seminars offer the reading of significant texts of philosophical debate around the subject of the lectures course, extending it with references to some other authors. The student is required to follow and to prepare for the exam only one seminar (I or II). The seminar format engages students in active participation, which mobilizes the acquired knowledge and transforms it into questioning the texts and discussing the topics.
The student may propose reading other texts or writing papers agreed with the teacher.

Office hours

See the website of Mariafranca Spallanzani