75834 - History of Humanist Philosophy

Learning outcomes

Through texts and authors deemed to be emblematic, the course aims at the acquisition of basic knowledge regarding philosophy from the second half of the fourteenth century to the end of the sixteenth century. Students will be led to recognize the main topics of Italian humanism and grasp relationships and intersections between speculative thought, philology and theory of the arts. One course objective is to enable students to master the lexis (Latin and Italian) of humanistic philosophy and be versed in the main historians’ interpretations as to Renaissance movements.

Course contents

Man like the Fourth World.
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Heptaplus

The Heptaplus (the allegorical interpretation of the days of creation) is a central text in Pico's philosophical experience and it reveals a clear vision of man and universe and the relationships of both with God's creative power. Starting from the analysis of the Heptaplus, the course will seek to focus on the reasons and the specific criteria of Pico's philosophy. Central theme of the classes will be the "concordist" approach to the many sources and the various (platonic, aristotelic, hermetic, cabalistic, neoplatonic, etc.) traditions evoked by Pico in this text. Such themes are elements of discontinuity over medieval philosophies and an important polarity in the culture of the early modern age. Anyway they do not deplete the Renaissance concepts of man, of the world, and of God, to which the course will refer to through the comparison with Pico's work.

Readings/Bibliography

All students are expected to know the following works:
- Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Heptaplus, in De hominis dignitate ; Heptaplus ; De ente et uno e scritti vari, a cura di Eugenio Garin (Firenze, Vallecchi, 1942; Torino, Aragno, 2004), pp.167-383.
- E. Garin, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola : vita e dottrina, Firenze : Le Monnier, 1937

Moreover, two of the following essays (students who do not attend classes are required to know all three essays)
- C. Trinkaus, L'Heptaplus di Pico della Mirandola, in Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, a cura di G. C. Garfagnini, Firenze, Olschki, 1997, pp. 105-126
- E. Garin, Introduzione a G. Pico della Mirandola, De hominis dignitate ; Heptaplus ; De ente et uno e scritti vari (1942), ed. Torino, Aragno, 2004, pp. 3-59.
M. A. Granada, Giovanni Pico e il mito della concordia, in Le filosofie del Rinascimento, a cura di C. Vasoli, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2002, pp. 229-246

All students are required to know the history of philosophy of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to be acquired through the study of a textbook

Teaching methods

30 lectures

During the classes the most significant central ideas and issues discussed will be presented, considering the interrelations between philosophy, literature and the figurative arts.


It is suggested to acquire the texts before the beginning of the course and to bring them to class.


It is also advisable to regularly consult the lecturer's web page on which any information and changes useful to those attending the course will be uploaded.

Assessment methods

Oral examination: Students are recommended to bring the texts when examining.The interview focuses mainly on analysis and critical interpretation of the sources.
Students who have attended lectures may agree on exams (whether written or oral) devoted to specific topics.

Assessment criteria and thresholds of evaluation:

30 cum laude - Excellent as to knowledge, philosophical lexicon and critical expression.

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

27-29 – Good: thorough and satisfactory knowledge; essentially correct expression.

24-26 - Fairly good: knowledge broadly acquired, and not always correctely expressed.

21-23 – Sufficient: superficial and partial knowledge; exposure and articulation are incomplete and often not sufficiently appropriate

18-21 - Almost sufficient: superficial and decontextualized knowledge. The exposure of the contents shows important gaps.

Exam failed - Students are requested to show up at a subsequent exam session if basic skills and knowledge are not sufficiently acquired and not placed in the historical-philosophical context.

Teaching tools

At the conclusion of each 'chapter' of the course (every 3-6 lessons) the topics and issues addressed will be summarized and outlined through short presentations accessible online.

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

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Office hours

See the website of Annarita Angelini