00961 - History of Philosophy (A-L)

Learning outcomes

Students learn to become familiar with trends, issues, 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 evaluation of argumentative and rhetorical strategies.

Course contents

The God of the Philosophers

The course is divided into three parts:

I. lecture course

II. general part

III. seminars (one to be chosen)

I. Lecture Course

The lecture curse intends to examine some topics of the philosophical debate on God's existence in the modern age, his nature and his attributes. This path allows to confront different types of argumentation and with different conceptions of the universe.

We will examine the following texts:

1. Descartes, Meditations of the First Philosophy (III, V)

2. Spinoza, Ethics (Ist Part)

3. Leibniz, Monadology

4. Hume, Dialogues concerning Natural Religion

5. Kant, Transcendental Dialectics

N.B. Students are required to study only 4 texts and to arrange with the teacher the translation of these texts.

II. General part

The general part follows the basic lines of the history of modern philosophy from Descartes to Kant, which the student must prepare on a high school handbook. For example: Storia della filosofia con testi e letture critiche by Adorno, T. Gregory, V. Verra (Bari, Laterza 1979, rist., vol. II), Storia della filosofia by F. Restaino (Torino, Utet 1999, vol. 3/1 e 3/2), Storia della filosofia moderna by M. Mori (Bari, Laterza, 2005).

This general part is completed by an index and a collection of texts on the main course compiled by D. Donna and F. Baldassarri. This collection will be available on-line on the website of the teacher.

III. Seminars

Seminar I

Montaigne, Apology for Raymond Sebond. Natural theology and scepticism

We will read the following text:

Montaigne, Essays, B. II, Ch. XII

Seminar II

The God of Rousseau and the Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar

We will read the following text:

Rousseau, Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar, in Emile.

N.B. Students are required to arrange with the teacher the translation of the texts.

Readings/Bibliography

Texts and bibliography are indicated in the program.

Teaching methods

Lectures concern specific themes, and intend to analyze them in reference also to the peculiarities of historical contexts, the diversity of cultures and of philosophical problems, and, finally, the determination of intellectual options of individual philosophers. The predominantly seminar format of the lessons involves students in an independent and shared research, conducted with bibliographic tools and discussed in dialogic forms of scientific communication.

Assessment methods

The oral exam, which takes place in the teacher office (Via Zamboni, 38, 4th floor), tends to verify:

1. the historical and philosophical knowledge, the study of texts and bibliography ;

2. the level of conceptual assimilation and critical  elaboration;

3. the properties of language and expression;

4. the ability of orientation of the main lines of classical interpretation and contemporary historiography.

Exam registration is available on-line at AlmaEsami

Assessment criteria and assessment thresholds:

30 cum laude: oustanding

30: excellent

29-27: very good

26-23: satisfactory to adequate

22-19: poor to barely adequate

18: minimum passing grade

< 18: fail

Teaching tools

A. The lectures aim to examine classical texts, which are available in Italian and English translation, but with many references to the original language.

B. The general part follows the basic lines of the history of modern philosophy from Descartes to Kant, that the student must study on a high school manual. For example: Storia della filosofia con testi e letture critiche by F. Adorno, T. Gregory, V. Verra ( Bari, Laterza 1979, rist., vol. II), Storia della filosofia by F. Restaino (Torino, Utet 1999, vol. 3/1 e 3/2), Storia della filosofia moderna by M. Mori (Bari, Laterza, 2005).
This general part is completed by an index and collection of texts on the main course curated by D. Donna and P. Schiavo. This collection will be available to students at the Student Secretariat of the Department of Philosophy and Communication, Via Zamboni, 38, second floor.

C. Seminars offer the reading of significant texts of philosophical debate around the theme of the course, extending it with references to some other authors. The student is required to follow and to prepare for the exam only one seminar (I or II). The seminar format engages students in active participation.

Office hours

See the website of Mariafranca Spallanzani