00961 - History of Philosophy (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

Students learn to become familiar with trends, issues, important authors of modern philosophy, and to orient themselves in its historical interpretations. They are trained in the critical reading of philosophical texts, and in evaluation of argumentative and rhetorical strategies.

Course contents

God, Human Beings, and Nature in Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, and Hume

This course offers an in-depth, monographic exploration of four major figures in 17th- and 18th-century philosophy: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, and Hume. The lectures will address the most significant theoretical issues in the thought of these authors. Through critical readings of selected passages from Meditations on First Philosophy, Ethics, Monadology, and A Treatise of Human Nature, their philosophical perspectives will be reconstructed with particular attention to the notions of God, knowledge, and experience.

Alongside the lectures dedicated to Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, and Hume, additional sessions will be held in which the same themes explored in the monographic section will be presented in relation to other authors selected from those listed in the institutional part of the course. This will provide students with a broader orientation on the most relevant aspects of modern and contemporary philosophical thought.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Compulsory readings

1. Texts commented on during lectures will be made available on the seminar’s Virtuale platform.

2. René Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy (1641): With Selections from the Objections and Replies, edited by John Cottingham, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2017 (Only the text of the six Meditations is required for the exam; the Objections and Replies are not included);

3. B. Spinoza, Ethics (1677), edited byEdwin Curley, Penguin Classics, London, 2005 (only First Part and Second Part);

4. G. W. Leibniz, Monadology (1720): An Edition for Students, edited by Nicholas Rescher, University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 1991;

5. D. Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature (1739,1740), edited by L.A. Selby-Bigge, and P.H. Nidditch, Clarendon Press – Oxford University Press, Oxford 1978 (First book: First Part; Third Part: Sections I-VIII; Second Book: First part, Section I e II).

2. Basic Skills

The knowledge of fundamental authors and themes regarding the history of philosophy between the 19th and 20th centuries is required for the oral exam.

List of authors:

Bruno, Machiavelli, Bacone, Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, Montesquieu, Vico, Hume, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Kant, Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Croce, Wittgenstein, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Lukács, la Scuola di Francoforte, Foucault, Arendt.

This textbook is recommended:

A. Kenny, A New History Of Western Philosophy, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2006, 2007, voll. III, IV.

3. Reading recommendations (will not be subject to examination)

Descartes

J. Gaukroger, Descartes: An Intellectual Biography, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1995;

G. Rodis-Lewis, Descartes: His Life and Thought, Cornell University Press, Ithaca (NY) 1999;

T. Sorell, Descartes: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2000.

Spinoza

H. E. Allison, Benedict de Spinoza: An Introduction, Yale University Press, Yale 1987;

R. Scruton, Spinoza: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2002;

M. Della Rocca, Spinoza, Routledge, New York, 2008;

S. Nadler, Think Least of Death: Spinoza on How to Live and How to Die, Princeton University Press, Princeton 2020.

Leibniz

S. C. Brown, Leibniz: A Survey of His Philosophy, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis 1984;

C. Mercer, Leibniz's Metaphysics: Its Origins and Development, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2001;

N. Jolley, Leibniz, Routledge, London – New York, 2005;

M. R. Antognazza, Leibniz: An Intellectual Biography, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2009.

Hume

A.J. Ayer, Hume: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001;

N. K. Smith, The Philosophy of David Hume: A Critical Study of Its Origins and Central Doctrines, Palgrave Macmillan, New York 2005;

S. Blackburn, How to Read Hume, Granta Books, London 2008;

A. C. Baier, The Pursuits of Philosophy: An Introduction to the Life and Thought of David Hume, Harvard University Press, Cambridge (MA) 2011.

Non-attending students, in addition to the texts listed under point 1 of the bibliography, must read one complete text from each group listed under point 3. Furthermore, non-attending students are advised to contact the instructor via email to arrange an appointment.

 

Teaching methods

Ex cathedra lessons. During the course, efforts will be made to engage students in the discussion of the main topics covered. Critical reading and commentary of texts will also be included.

Assessment methods

Final oral exam with questions related to the required readings.

The exam is usually held in the instructor’s office: Room 5.08, Via Zamboni 38.

Exam sessions

During the academic year 2025/2026, exam sessions are scheduled in the following months: November 2025, December 2025, January 2026, May 2026, June 2026, July 2026, and September 2026.

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders are entitled to special adjustments according to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact teachers or Department staff, but make an appointment with the Service. The Service will then determine what adjustments are specifically appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page:
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Assessment criteria and thresholds of evaluation:

30 cum laude: Excellent as to knowledge, terminology and critical expression.

30: Excellent, knowledge is complete, well articulated and correctly expressed, although with some slight faults.

27-29: Good, knowledge comprehensive and satisfactory, essentially correct expression .

24-26: Fairly good, knowledge present in significant points, but not complete and not always expressed with correctness.

21-23: Sufficient, knowledge is sometimes superficial, but the guiding general thread is included. Expression and articulation incomplete and often not appropriate

18-21:.Almost sufficient, but knowledge present only on the surface. The guiding principle is not included with continuity. The expression and articulation of the speech show important gaps.

<18: Not sufficient, knowledge absent or very incomplete, lack of guidance in discipline, expression seriously deficient. Exam failed.

 

Teaching tools

Some of the texts discussed during lectures will be uploaded to the course's Virtuale platform. Additional materials for individual study and further exploration will also be made available on the same platform.

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Cerrato