00961 - History of Philosophy (A-L)

Learning outcomes

Students will become familiar with trends, issues and 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 the evaluation of argumentative and rhetorical strategies.

Course contents

Ancient and Modern Ethics. Plato and Hegel.

The course focuses on the comparison between the freedom of the ancients and the freedom of the moderns, filtered through the study of the political thought of Plato and Hegel. It aims to convey the meaning of the shift in the conception of the relationship between the individual and the state. It also seeks to highlight the connection between political and philosophical reflection.

 

Readings/Bibliography

1. Compulsory readings:

Platone, La Repubblica, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2024 (selections to be defined).

G.W.F. Hegel, Lineamenti di filosofia del diritto. Diritto naturale e scienza dello Stato in compendio, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2025 (selections to be defined).

(Non-attending students must study at least one of the two texts in full).

 

2. Choice of readings (at least two):

F. Ferrari, Introduzione a Platone, Il Mulino, Bologna 2018.

M. Vegetti, Guida alla lettura della «Repubblica» di Platone, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2024.

C. Galli, Platone. La necessità della politica. Il Mulino, Bologna 2021.

G. Bonacina, Introduzione a Hegel, Il Mulino, Bologna 2025.

S. Tortorella, Guida alla lettura dei «Lineamenti di filosofia del diritto» di Hegel, ETS, Pisa 2026.

R. Bodei, La civetta e la talpa. Sistema ed epoca in Hegel, Il Mulino, Bologna 2021.

 

3. Institutional Part

Knowledge of the following authors of the history of philosophy between the 16th and 20th centuries will be required for the examination:

Bruno, Bacone, Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, Vico, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Bergson, Husserl, Heidegger.

Students can use the textbook they prefer or that they already own, checking that all the authors included in the list below are covered and, if necessary, integrating it with other textbooks. For those who do not already have such texts we suggest:

M. Mori, Storia della filosofia moderna, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2005

A. La Vergata, F. Trabattoni, Filosofia cultura cittadinanza, Rizzoli, Milano, 2011

G. Cambiano, M. Mori, Storia e antologia della filosofia, Laterza, Roma, 1993 e seguenti

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

L. Guidetti, G. Matteucci, Le grammatiche del pensiero, Zanichelli, Bologna, 2012

Students who have already taken an exam on a historical-philosophical topic with prof. Francesco Cerrato will not have to take the institutional part of the exam.

Teaching methods

Ex cathedra lessons

Assessment methods

The final oral exam focuses on the programme’s material. The critical evaluation considers the fundamental notions, the level of the analysis and the critical skills. On the basis of these three principal parameters an overall evaluation in thirtieths is expressed.

18-21/30: Sufficient

22-25/30: Average

26-28/30: Good

29-30/30: Very Good

30/30 with praise: Excellent

 

Exam sessions are scheduled for June, July, September, October, and November 2027, and January and February 2028. Even after this date, students who have not yet taken this exam will be able to regularly take it in subsequent sessions.

Teaching tools

Individual lessons may be recorded and made available to students for listening.

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is recommended to contact the relevant University office in advance (site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it). The office will be responsible for proposing any necessary adjustments to the interested students. These adjustments must, however, be submitted at least 15 days in advance for approval by the instructor, who will assess their appropriateness in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

 

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Bonacina