28066 - History of Political Philosophy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student acquires knowledge relating to specific moments and problems of the philosophical-political reflection of the contemporary age, seen both as an original elaboration and as a resumption of the problems and models developed by the thinkers of the modern age with respect to the fundamental themes of philosophy politics, such as the relationship between natural and positive law, civil society and the state, the individual and society, and to the investigation of the very nature of the political order, acquiring at the same time adequate tools for the analysis of texts and appropriate historiographic methodologies.

Course contents

On the birth of theoretical Marxism in Italy. Labriola's Essays on historical materialism

The course will focus on the analysis of the fundamental aspects of Labrioli's interpretation of historical materialism, entrusted to the pages of the Essays on the materialistic conception of history (1895-1898).

In order to make their essential features more evident, we will also deal with the theoretical path preceding Labriola's arrival at Marxism (1890) and with the arguments developed by his first Italian critics (Benedetto Croce and Giovanni Gentile) after the publication of the first Essays. The course will conclude with a brief reference to Gramsci's interpretation of the Essays.

 

Class schedule and locations

11 a.m. - 1 p.m., classroom I, via Zamboni, 38

  

Starting date of the lectures

September 18, 2023

Readings/Bibliography

1. Basic text

Antonio Labriola, La concezione materialistica della storia 

or:

Antonio Labriola, Saggi sul materialismo storico

 

2. For the exam

2.1. The basic text

2.2. The texts commented in class (they will be made available in the teaching materials)

2.3. A text chosen from the following critical studies:

Nicola Badaloni – Carlo Muscetta, Labriola, Croce, Gentile, Laterza, Bari 1977

Alberto Burgio (a cura di), Antonio Labriola nella storia e nella cultura della nuova Italia, Quodlibet, Macerata 2005

Massimo Gabella, La rivoluzione come problema pedagogico. Politica e educazione nel marxismo di Antonio Labriola (1890-1904), il Mulino, Bologna 2022

Alberto Burgio, Un marxismo «alquanto aristocratico». Studi su Antonio Labriola, DeriveApprodi, Bologna 2023

 

Non-attending students should read the volume Eugenio Garin, Tra due secoli. Socialismo e filosofia in Italia dopo l’Unità, Laterza, Bari 1983.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures with discussion in class of the crucial issues.

Assessment methods

The final oral exam focuses on the program’s material.

It usually takes place at the Professor’s office (via Zamboni, 38 - 5.08).

The evaluation considers the degree of learning of the fundamental notions, the level of the argumentative competence, expressive property and the critical skills of candidates.

On the basis of these parameters an overall evaluation in thirtieths is expressed, according to the following judgment criteria:

18-21 Sufficient

22-25 Average

26-28 Good-Very Good

29-30 Excellent.

 

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders have the right to special accommodations according to their condition, following an assessment by the Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the teacher but get in touch with the Service directly to schedule an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine the appropriate adaptations. For more information, visit the page:

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Teaching tools

The lectures will be regularly recorded and will be available not in real time by accessing the Teams classroom created ad hoc. Access will be possible through the unibo institutional credentials by connecting to the link available since 19 September in the virtual materials of the course.

Pertaining to the course, a seminar on the topic Pedagogy and Morals in Labriola's Marxism (with possible reading of unpublished papers) is offered by Dr. Massimo Gabella; attendance of the seminar is optional and not subject to verification during the exam.

Office hours

See the website of Alberto Burgio