B5013 - The Philosophy and Theory of History

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, he student is able to identify the main theoretical issues of the philosophical debate on the metaphysical, ontological and epistemological status of history (Does history exist? What is it? How can we know it?) and clarify the different approaches on the theory of history. In accordance with the methodology of the history of philosophy, constant reference to the historical context will be made. The primary texts will be accompanied by a reading list of secondary texts, by means of which the student can explore the plurality of historiographical interpretations.

Course contents

The Dialectic of History: Hegel and Marx

The first part of this course will focus on the study of Hegel's Lectures on the Philosophy of History, a posthumous text in which Hegel presents his theory on the meaning of history, the logic of its development, and the laws governing its constitution and dynamics.

After exploring the main themes that emerge from Hegelian philosophy of history and its connections with other parts of his system (particularly the Logic and the Philosophy of Right), the second part of the course will then move on to study Marx's conception of history. This will initially involve examining his early writings that critically engage with Hegel, and subsequently, his mature works on the critique of political economy.

In line with the teaching objectives, the analysis of these texts will be conducted through a careful investigation of their historical context, as well as with regard to the classical and modern sources of both authors. 

 

Workshop

The course will include a workshop, the "Laboratory of Historiographical and Philosophical Critique" directed by Professor Imbriano, dedicated to exploring aspects of the contemporary debate surrounding Hegel and Marx. The complete program will be provided before the start of the course.

Students who participate in the seminar meetings will have the option to prepare two (instead of three) critical texts for the final exam from those listed in the Secondary Bibliography.

 

Starting date: 11th February 2025

 

Wednesday, 17:00 - 19:00, aula Cruciani [starting from IV period: Salone Marescotti], via Barberia 4

Thursday, 17:00 - 19:00, aula Cruciani [starting from IV period: Salone Marescotti], via Barberia 4

Friday, 17:00 - 19:00, aula Cruciani [starting from IV period: Salone Marescotti], via Barberia 4

Readings/Bibliography

1. Primary readings:

 

I. HEGEL

Selected parts * of:

Lezioni sulla filosofia della storia, 4 voll., Firenze, Sansoni 1941 segg. 

Scienza della Logica, 2 voll., Roma-Bari, Laterza 1968

Lineamenti di filosofia del diritto, Roma-Bari, Laterza 1999

 

II. MARX

Selected parts * of:

Prefazione a Per la critica dell’economia politica in Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Opere complete (MEOC), Editori Riuniti, Roma 1972 segg. (vol. 30)

Ideologia Tedesca, in Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Opere complete (MEOC), Editori Riuniti, Roma 1972 segg. (vol. 5)

Tesi su Feuerbach, in Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Opere complete (MEOC), Editori Riuniti, Roma 1972 segg. (vol. 5)

Il Capitale. Libro Primo, La Città del Sole, Napoli 2009

Lineamenti fondamentali di critica dell'economia politica, La Nuova Italia, Firenze 1972

India Cina Russia, Il Saggiatore, Milano 2007

Other texts will be indicated in class

 

* The selected parts of the texts will be collected in a handout (See Teaching Resources)

 

2. Critical readings (three texts of your choice) **:

 

B1. One text of your choice:

Alberto Burgio, Strutture e catastrofi. Kant Hegel Marx, Editori Riuniti 2001

Giorgio Cesarale, Filosofia e capitalismo. Marx, Hegel e le filosofie contemporanee, Carocci

Roberto Finelli, Un parricidio mancato. Hegel e il giovane Marx, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri 2004

Roberto Fineschi, Marx e Hegel. Contributi a una rilettura, Roma, Carocci, 2006

Domenico Losurdo, Hegel, Marx e la tradizione liberale : libertà, uguaglianza, Stato, Roma, Editori riuniti 1988

Karl Löwith, Significato e fine della storia: i presupposti teologici della filosofia della storia, Edizioni di Comunità, Milano 1963

Karl Popper, Hegel e Marx falsi profeti, Roma, Armando 1986

 

B2. One text of your choice:

Eric Weil, Hegel e lo Stato e altri scritti hegeliani, Guerini e Associati 1990

Marcello Monaldi, Hegel e la storia: nuove prospettive e vecchie questioni, Guida Editori, 2000

AA. VV., Logica e storia in Hegel, Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane, 1985

Jean Hyppolite, Introduzione alla filosofia della storia di Hegel, ETS 2016

Domenico Losurdo, Hegel e la libertà dei moderni, La Scuola di Pitagora 2011

 

B3. One text of your choice:

Marcello Musto, Karl Marx: biografia intellettuale e politica (1857-1883), Torino, Einaudi, 2018

Mario Dal Pra, La dialettica in Marx. Dagli scritti giovanili all’Introduzione alla critica dell’economia politica, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1977

Gennaro Imbriano, Marx e il conflitto, DeriveApprodi 2020

Saito Kohei, Il capitale nell'antropocene, Einaudi 2024

Stefano Petrucciani (a cura di), Il pensiero di Karl Marx. Filosofia, politica, economia, Carocci, Roma 2018

 

** Two, rather than three, for students who participate in the Workshop

 

3. Basic skills:

For the oral exam, knowledge of the authors and themes regarding the history of philosophy between 17th and 19th centuries.

List of themes and authors:

Hobbes, Locke, Spinoza, Rousseau, Kant, idealismo tedesco, Feuerbach e la sinistra hegeliana, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche

Students can refer to one of these handbooks:

Lucio Cortella, La filosofia contemporanea. Dal paradigma soggettivista a quello linguistico, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2020

Carlo Galli, Manuale di storia del pensiero politico, il Mulino, Bologna 2001

Giuseppe Cambiano, Massimo Mori, Storia e antologia della filosofia, Laterza, Roma 1993 e seguenti

Fabio Cioffi et al., Il testo filosofico, Mondadori, Milano 1992 e seguenti

Mario Dal Pra, Sommario di storia della filosofia, La Nuova Italia, Firenze 1987

 

The programme is the same both for students who attend the lectures and those who don’t.

 

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures with discussions in class of the most crucial issues

Assessment methods

The final oral exam focuses on the material in the programme and will be held in Professor Imbriano’s office, via Barberia, 4.

The students will be examined on their knowledge of fundamental concepts, their level of analysis and their critical skills.

On the basis of these three principal parameters an overall evaluation will be given out of a total of 30.

Evaluation of level:

18-21 Low/Sufficient

22-25 Medium

26-28 Good/Very good

29-30 High

30 L Excellent

 

Teaching tools

Traditional lectures with the support of Power Point

 

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office.

 

  

Office hours

See the website of Gennaro Imbriano