30413 - Philosophy Laboratory (1) (G.L)

Learning outcomes

The student learns to read and critically analyze philosophical texts and to write a philosophical essay.

Course contents

Pragmatism, Semiotics, and Metaphysics in the Development of C. S. Peirce’s Thought

C. S. Peirce is the founder of semiotics and pragmatism, a school of thought that remains vital in the contemporary philosophical landscape. The chronological development of his thought highlights the maturation of many specific ideas in phenomenology, semiotics, logic, and metaphysics. These are themes with which all classical pragmatists engaged and which were central to what Richard Bernstein has called the “pragmatic turn” of the early 2000s.

Readings/Bibliography

C.S. Peirce, Scritti scelti, UTET, Torino 2005. Lo stesso testo è stato riedito da Mondadori e da Fabbri. Qualsiasi edizione va bene.

Studi critici orientativi (facoltativi):

F. Bellucci, Peirce’s Speculative Grammar: Logic as Semiotics, Routledge, New York 2018.

S. Bernardi della Rosa, Peirce on habits, Lexington, New York 2025.

M.R. Brioschi, Logica, metafisica ed etica in Charles S. Peirce, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli (RC) 2024.

R.M. Calcaterra, G. Maddalena, G. Marchetti, Il pragmatismo. Dalle origini agli sviluppi contemporanei, Carocci, Roma 2015.

G. Maddalena, Peirce, Scholé, Brescia 2022.

G. Maddalena, Metafisica per assurdo. Peirce e i problemi dell’epistemologia contemporanea, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli (RC) 2009.

Teaching methods

The Laboratory will be structured as follows:

• 4 lectures devoted to the presentation of the main themes of the texts under discussion, during which some reflections on philosophical essay writing and bibliographical research will also be offered;
  
• 11 seminar meetings during which students are invited to present papers, agreed upon with the instructor, based on the issues that emerged in the previous lectures.

Assessment methods

Final assessment includes:

• participation in classroom discussion;
• individual presentations (conducted individually or in groups);
• a final written essay (minimum 10,000 characters, maximum 12,000 characters, spaces included and bibliography excluded), to be submitted to the instructor at least 20 days before the exam date. The essay must address issues raised during the Laboratory and must be linguistically and stylistically accurate.

Students with Disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (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, but instead contact the Service to schedule an appointment. The Service will determine which accommodations are appropriate.
Further information is available on the dedicated webpage.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Maddalena