10577 - Philosophical Hermeneutics (1)

Learning outcomes

a) Disciplinary characterization Philosophical hermeneutics is a theoretical discipline, driven by the intention to reflect on the relationship between subject and world and on the conditions that make it possible. The term “hermeneutics”, which has been present since antiquity with the meaning of art or technique of interpretation of religious, juridical and literary texts, assumes philosophical relevance only through the work of historicism and phenomenology. As a discipline, philosophical hermeneutics was in fact born in the twentieth century, when, in the phenomenological field, hermeneutics is no longer considered as one of the possible forms of knowledge, but is conceived as the subject’s mode of being. Since every understanding presupposes an anticipation of meaning (hermeneutic circle), historicity is constitutive of human being, who, through language, is called to understand and interpret her being in the world. b) Methodology, knowledges and educational objectives The purpose of the teaching of Philosophical Hermeneutics is to acquire knowledge and analytical tools that enable to tackle philosophical texts with historiographical awareness and critical sense, placing them within the contemporary philosophical debate and questioning them starting from the solicitations of the present. To this end, it is necessary to know the basic vocabulary of the discipline, to have critically assimilated its fundamental concepts and to be able to discuss its contents. This objective is pursued through the adoption of different methods, such as historical-philosophical reconstruction, conceptual elaboration and hermeneutics of the text.

Course contents

Reality and interpretation

What are the boundaries between reality and interpretation? Is it possible to distinguish them? Is it possible to reach an intersubjective agreement on what is real? Are there other ways of conceiving the relationship between reality, interpretation, and truth?

After presenting the main elements of the discipline through its key themes and reference figures, the course will address the specific issue of reality and interpretation in the classic work of Luigi Pareyson and in the ontological radicalization found in his later writings. In the second part, the course will examine an alternative proposal concerning the idea of interpretation developed through the notions of sign and reality in the works of C. S. Peirce. Finally, as an innovative conceptual proposal that brings together the demands of the two alternative hypotheses, the course will present the “rich realism” of the contemporary philosophy of gesture.

Readings/Bibliography

Pareyson L., Verità e interpretazione, Mursia, Milano 2018

Pareyson L., Filosofia della libertà, Il Melangolo, Genova 2020.

Peirce C.S., “Una nuova lista di categorie”; “Come rendere chiare le nostre idee” in Scritti scelti, UTET, Torino 2005, pp. 183-228. Il testo è stato ristampato anche da Mondadori e da Fabbri.

Maddalena G., Filosofia del gesto, Carocci, Roma 2021

I non frequentanti devono portare in aggiunta il testo:

Maddalena G., Peirce, La scuola, Brescia 2022

Grondin J., L’ermeneutica, Queriniana, Brescia 2020

Teaching methods

The course consists of lectures that involve constant dialogue between the instructor and students in order to develop and assess students’ critical thinking skills. If certain parts of the lectures or texts are unclear, students may schedule an appointment with the instructor during office hours.

Assessment methods

For both attending and non-attending students, knowledge will be assessed through an oral examination.
Evaluation will take into account the following criteria:

1. knowledge and understanding of the topics covered;
2. ability to apply knowledge through the analysis of specific issues;
3. independent judgment, i.e., the ability to re-elaborate information autonomously and personally;
4. communication skills, including the ability to convey ideas and problems using appropriate language and well-structured reasoning;
5. learning skills, i.e., correct acquisition of tools and the ability to exercise critical judgment on complex problems.

The purpose of the oral examination is to assess the student’s ability to apply their acquired knowledge and to carry out the necessary critical inferential connections.

Final grade scale:

• Preparation on a very limited number of topics covered in the course and analytical ability emerging only with the instructor’s assistance, overall correct language → 18–19;
• Preparation on a limited number of topics covered in the course and autonomous analytical ability only on purely procedural issues, correct language → 20–24;
• Preparation on a broad range of topics covered in the course, ability to make autonomous choices in critical analysis, command of specific terminology → 25–29;
• Substantially exhaustive preparation on the topics covered in the course, ability to make autonomous choices in critical analysis and connections, full command of specific terminology, and strong argumentative and self-reflective skills → 30–30L.

 

Students with disabilities and SLD

Students with disabilities or specific learning disorders are entitled to special accommodations related to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the instructor directly; instead, contact the Service to schedule an appointment. The Service will determine which accommodations are appropriate. Students are advised to contact the relevant University office in advance (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ); the office will propose any appropriate accommodations to the interested students. These accommodations must in any case be submitted for approval to the instructor at least 15 days in advance, who will assess their suitability in relation to the educational objectives of the course.

Teaching tools

 

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Maddalena