00961 - History of Philosophy (M-Z)

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

From Passions to Sentiments in British Philosophy between the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

The course will examine the conceptual transformation of the notions of passions and sentiments in British philosophy between the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries. The first part will focus on the philosophies of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, with particular attention to the different anthropological models they developed and the distinct conceptions of society and political order that follow from them. The second part of the course will be devoted to David Hume and Adam Smith, whose reflections on the passions, sympathy, and the moral sentiments will be examined, highlighting the gradual transition from a theory of the passions to a philosophy of the moral sentiments as the foundation of ethical and social life.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Compulsory readings

1. Texts commented on during lectures will be made available on the seminar’s Virtuale platform.

2. Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, with an introduction and notes by Christopher Brooke, Penguin books, London 2017: only first part.

3. David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature (1739,1740), edited by Lewis Amherst Selby-Bigge and Peter Harold Nidditch, Clarendon Press – Oxford University Press, Oxford 1978: only book II.

4. Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Penguin Classics, London/New York 2010: first and second part.

2. Basic Skills

The knowledge of fundamental authors and themes regarding the history of philosophy between the 16th and 20th centuries is required for the oral exam.

List of authors:

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

This textbook is recommended:

A. Kenny, A New History Of Western Philosophy, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2006, 2007, voll. III, IV.

3. Secondary Literature

One text of the student's choice for each of the two sections.

3.1

Crawford B. Macpherson, The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism: Hobbes to Locke, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1962.

John Dunn, The Political Thought of John Locke: An Historical Account of the Argument of the "Two Treatises of Government", Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1969.

Wolfang von Leyden, Hobbes and Locke: The Politics of Freedom and Obligation, Macmillan Press, London 1981.

Walter Euchner, La filosofia politica di Locke, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1995.

Alfredo Ferrarin, Artificio, desiderio, considerazione di sé : Hobbes e i fondamenti antropologici della politica, ETS, Pisa 2001.

Norberto Bobbio, Thomas Hobbes, Einaudi, Torino 2004.

Maurizio Merlo, La legge e la coscienza. Il problema della libertà nella filosofia politica di John Locke, Polimetrica, Milano 2006.

Carlo Altini, Potenza come potere : la fondazione della cultura moderna nella filosofia di Hobbes, ETS, Pisa 2012.

Francesco Cerrato, Un secolo di passioni e politica. Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, DeriveApprodi, Roma, 2013.

Remo Bodei, Geometry of the Passions: Fear, Hope, Happiness: Philosophy and Political Use, translated by Gianpiero W. Doebler, University of Toronto Press, Toronto-Buffalo- London 2018

3.2 

Basil Willey, The Seventeenth Century Background: Studies in the Thought of the Age in Relation to Poetry and Religion, Chatto & Windus, London 1934

Mario Dal Pra, Hume e la scienza della natura umana, 2ª ed. interamente rielaborata, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1973.

Sergio Cremaschi, Il sistema della ricchezza. Economia politica e problema del metodo in Adam Smith, FrancoAngeli, Milano 1984.

Eugenio Lecaldano, Hume e la nascita dell'etica contemporanea, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1991.

Gilles Deleuze, Empiricism and Subjectivity: An Essay on Hume's Theory of Human Nature, translated by Constantin V. Boundas, Columbia University Press, New York 1991.

Adelino Zanini, Genesi imperfetta : il governo delle passioni in Adam Smith, Giapichelli, Torino 1995.

Adelino Zanini, Adam Smith : Economia, morale, diritto, Bruno Mondadori, Milano 1997.

Gianluca Foglia, Immaginazione e natura umana. Studio sulla teoria della conoscenza di David Hume, il Mulino, Bologna 1998.

Lorenzo Greco, L'io morale. David Hume e l'etica contemporanea, Liguori, Napoli 2008.

Eugenio Lecaldano, Simpatia, Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milano 2013.

Giovanni Paoletti, Passioni del tempo. Origine della religione e utilità della storia da Hobbes a Hume, Carocci, Roma 2023.

Non-Attending Students

Non-attending students are required to replace the two optional secondary readings listed under Sections 3.1 and 3.2 (Secondary Literature) of the bibliography with the following introductory texts

John W. Yolton, Locke: An Introduction, Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1985. 

Federico Laudisa, Hume, Carocci, Rome, 2009.

Adelino Zanini, Adam Smith: Economics, Morality, and Law, Bruno Mondadori, Milan, 1997.

Non-attending students are strongly encouraged to contact the instructor by email to arrange an appointment.

 

Teaching methods

Ex cathedra lessons. During the course, efforts will be made to engage students in the discussion of the main topics covered. Critical reading and commentary of texts will also be included.

Assessment methods

Final oral exam with questions related to the required readings.

The exam is usually held in the instructor’s office: Room 5.08, Via Zamboni 38.

Exam sessions

During the academic year 2026/2027, exam sessions are scheduled in the following months: May 2027, June 2027, July 2027, September 2027, October 2027, December 2027, January 2028.

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders are entitled to special adjustments according to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact teachers or Department staff, but make an appointment with the Service. The Service will then determine what adjustments are specifically appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page:
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Assessment criteria and thresholds of evaluation:

30 cum laude: Excellent as to knowledge, terminology and critical expression.

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

27-29: Good, knowledge comprehensive and satisfactory, essentially correct expression .

24-26: Fairly good, knowledge present in significant points, but not complete and not always expressed with correctness.

21-23: Sufficient, knowledge is sometimes superficial, but the guiding general thread is included. Expression and articulation incomplete and often not appropriate

18-21:.Almost sufficient, but knowledge present only on the surface. The guiding principle is not included with continuity. The expression and articulation of the speech show important gaps.

<18: Not sufficient, knowledge absent or very incomplete, lack of guidance in discipline, expression seriously deficient. Exam failed.

 

Teaching tools

Some of the texts discussed during lectures will be uploaded to the course's Virtuale platform. Additional materials for individual study and further exploration will also be made available on the same platform.

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Cerrato