00399 - Theoretical Philosophy

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be familiar with some of the key moments in philosophical thought and have a synoptic view of them. They will be able both to place philosophers in historical context, and to decontextualize them to see how relevant their thinking is to contemporary philosophy. They will know the problem-concepts of meaning, reference and truth, and be able to critique a theoretical proposition set up by the teacher.

Course contents

Course title: Man and psyché, between nature and spirit: anthropology, psychology, philosophy

At the end of “The Order of Things”, Foucault states that the anthropological paradigm at work in the epistemological field of the "human sciences" is nothing more than the result of a recent invention whose origin we have forgotten and whose disappearance is imminent, like a face of sand on the edge of the sea. Whether one agrees with Foucault's famous thesis or not, one thing is certain: after Kant and since the beginning of the 19^th century, the problem of man has been articulated according to an epistemological reconfiguration that radically transforms the relations between the sciences and, consequently, the method and questions of philosophical inquiry. The aim of the course is to measure the impact of this transformation, paying particular attention to the invention of modern psychology, in the function of which we will analyse a series of systematic effects that are decisive for the settlement of the forces at play in the context of contemporary philosophy.

This will initially involve: (i) understanding the positioning of anthropology and psychology (empirical and rational) within the Kantian system of thought; (ii) understanding the meaning of the anthropological problematic, starting with Kant, in the light of readings by Heidegger and Foucault. In a second moment, the focus will be on the “after Kant” and, in particular on: (iv) the emergence of modern psychology as “empirical”, “experimental” and “descriptive” psychology between the first and second half of the 19^th century (Wundt, Brentano, Stumpf); (v) the attempted foundation of the “human sciences” or, to use the German equivalent, the “sciences of the spirit”, as distinct from the “natural sciences” (Dilthey); (v) the relationship between psychology and philosophy, which would lead to another major transformation between the 19^th and the 20^th century, in which psychology would assume a philosophically foundational role.

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliography: 

W. Dilthey, Scritti filosofici, UTET, 2013 [due to the electronic format, the page numbers of the parts indicated below may vary depending on the way they are displayed]:

- I. 'Studies for the Foundation of the Sciences of the Spirit': Ch. I, 'The Psychic Structural Connection'; Ch. III, 'The Delimitation of the Sciences of the Spirit'

- II. The Construction of the Historical World in the Spiritual Sciences: Ch. I: 'Delimitation of the Spiritual Sciences'; Ch. III: 'General Principles Concerning the Connection of the Spiritual Sciences'.

- The Types of World Views and their Formation in Metaphysical Systems.

M. Foucault, The Order of Things. An Archaeology of the Human Sciences, Rizzoli 2013 (ch. 9: pp. 371-421)

M. Heidegger, Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics, Laterza, 1981/2010 (pp. 178-211)

C. Stumpf, The Rebirth of Philosophy. Essays and Lectures, Quodlibet 2009 (pp. 3-32)

W. Wundt:

- "Lineamenti di psicologia", in Opere scelte, UTET 2009 (pp. 93-118)

- "Philosophy in Germany", in Mind (1877), pp. 493-518.

Kant's texts:

Logic, Laterza, 2004 (selected passages, see Virtuale); Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View, Einaudi, 2010 (selected passages, see Virtuale); Critique of Pure Reason ('Architectonics of Reason', selected passages, see Virtuale).

Other material:

Handouts and diagrams on Virtual

Secondary literature:

R. Martinelli, Man, Nature, World. The Anthropological Problem in Philosophy, Il Mulino 2004

One of the following two texts:

L. Mecacci, Storia della psicologia. Dal Novecento a oggi, Laterza, 2019 (chapters I-II)

or

R. Luccio, Dall'anima alla mente. Breve storia della psicologia, Laterza, 2014 (chapters I-II-III).

Bibliographic indications to support non-attending students::

E. Melandri, Le ricerche logiche di Husserl. Introduction and commentary on the first research (Part I), Il Mulino 1990

F. Bianco, Introduction to Dilthey, Laterza, 2001

B. Cassin, Dictionary of the Untranslatable. A Philosophical Dictionary, Princeton University Press 2014

The Routledge Handbook of Franz Brentano and the Brentano School, 2017

For a better understanding of the issues outlined, the student is invited, if he or she deems it appropriate according to his or her knowledge of philosophy, to use any textbook of philosophy. Among the various ones, I recommend (just as an indication)

- Giuseppe Cambiano, Massimo Mori, Storia e antologia della filosofia, Laterza, Rome 1993 et al.

- Fabio Cioffi et al, Il testo filosofico, Mondadori, Milan 1992 et seq.

- Mario Dal Pra, Sommario di storia della filosofia, La Nuova Italia, Florence 1987

- N. Abbagnano, Storia della filosofia, vol. 3 & 4, UTET 2017 et seq.

All the bibliographical material and handouts for each topic and author will be available on Virtuale.

Teaching methods

Ex-cathedra lectures, textual commentary, class discussions on specific issues, dialogical lectures.

Slides and schemes. 

The course is scheduled in the second semester, 3th and 4th period.  

Please note that, in line with established Italian academic custom, each class will begin 15 minutes after the indicated time.

I will be grateful to Erasmus and other Exchange students who intend to attend the course if they get in touch with me before the beginning.

Assessment methods

Students will be evalueted on the basis of a viva voce. The oral exam aim to assessing the student's ability to present and critically analyse the various views discussed in the course.

Grade assessment criteria

Grade range below 18 – Fail. Poor knowledge of core material, a significant inability to engage with the discipline. Very poor presentation.

Grade range 18-21 – Pass. Limited and superficial knowledge of the subject, a significant inability to follow the thread of the discussion. Presentation with many inadequacies.

Grade range 21-23 – Adequate. The knowledge is superficial, but the thread of the discussion has been consistently grasped. Presentation with some inadequacies.

Grade range 24-26 – Acceptable. Elementary knowledge of the key principles and concepts. The presentation is occasionally weak.

Grade range 27-29 – Good. Comprehensive knowledge. Good presentation.

30 – Very Good. Detailed knowledge with hints of critical thinking. Very good presentation.

30 cum laude – Outstanding. Excellent knowledge and depth of understanding. Excellent presentation.

Teaching tools

Blackboard, PC, Slides projector, Virtuale

Office hours

See the website of Emanuele Mariani