11227 - History of Philosophy A (F-N)

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

This year the course will be dedicated to three protagonists of British philosophy between the 17th and 18th centuries: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and David Hume. Of these authors, we will examine the theory of knowledge, the philosophy of passions, and political thought.

The first week of lessons will have an introductory nature: we will reconstruct the historical context of Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries, and present some of the main issues of the philosophical debate of the 17th century.

Subsequently, the first module will be dedicated to Thomas Hobbes and John Locke through a critical reading of excerpts from their most important works. For Hobbes, we will read pages from De Homine, De Cive, and Leviathan. As for Locke, the focus will primarily be on An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.

The study of Locke's philosophy will also continue in the second module, where during the first week, we will delve into some of the fundamental aspects of his political thought, primarily focusing on commentary and analysis of excerpts from the Second Treatise of Government.

Finally, the remaining part of the course, until December, will feature David Hume, with a focus on his work A Treatise of Human Nature and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion.

INSTITUTIONAL COURSE

Starting from the academic year 2021-2022, Professors Giovanni Bonacina, Alberto Burgio, Francesco Cerrato and Diego Donna will work together on the institutional part of the History of Philosophy examinations in their respective three-year (History of Philosophy, History of Modern Philosophy) and two-year (History of Philosophy LM) courses. The institutional part of the examination is identical for all courses. It can only be taken once: the mark obtained in one of the above-mentioned subjects will be recognised - without the need for a further examination - for the others as well.

 

The lesson of Thursday will be dedicated to introduce some themes and author of the History of Philosophy.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Compulsory readings

• Commented texts during the lessons (will be made available in the course materials);
• T. Hobbes, Il Leviatano, Bur, Milano 2011 (prima e seconda parte);
• J. Locke, Saggio sull’intelligenza umana, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2019; (Epistola al lettore; Introduzione; Libro II; Libro IV: Capp. 1- 5);
• D. Hume, Trattato sulla natura umana, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2008 (primo libro: parte prima; parte terza: solo le sezioni I-VIII; libro secondo, parte prima: sezioni I e II).

2. Basic Skills

The knowledge of fundamental authors and themes regarding the history of philosophy between the 19th and 20th centuries is required for the oral exam.

List of authors:

Bruno, Machiavelli, Bacone, Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, Montesquieu, Vico, Hume, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Kant, Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Croce, Wittgenstein, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Lukács, la Scuola di Francoforte, Foucault, Arendt.

Those who have already taken the History of Modern Philosophy with Proff. G. Bonacina e D. Donna are exempt from taking the institutional part.

3. Reading recommendations (will not be subject to examination)

- Hobbes

• N. Bobbio, Thomas Hobbes, Einaudi, Torino 2004
• G. Gargani, Hobbes e la scienza, Einaudi, Torino 1971
• A. Pacchi, Convenzione e ipotesi nella formazione della filosofia naturale di Thomas Hobbes, La Nuova Italia, Firenze 1965
• A. Pacchi, Introduzione a Hobbes, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1971
• H. Warrender, Il pensiero politico di Hobbes, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1995

- Locke

• J. Dunn, Il pensiero politico di John Locke, il Mulino, Bologna 1992
• W. Euchner, La filosofia politica di Locke, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1995
• M. Merlo, La legge e la coscienza. Il problema della libertà nella filosofia politica di John Locke, Polimetrica, Milano 2006
• A. Pacchi, Introduzione alla lettura del Saggio sull'intelletto umano di Locke, Unicopli, Milano 1997
• M. Sina, Introduzione a Locke, Laterza, Roma – Bari 2006
• C. A. Viano, John Locke. Dal razionalismo all'illuminismo, Einaudi, Torino 1960

- Hume

• M. Dal Pra, Hume e la scienza della natura umana, Laterza, Roma -Bari 1973
• G. Deleuze, Empirismo e soggettività. Saggio sulla natura umana secondo Hume, Cronopio, Napoli, 2000
• G. Foglia, Immaginazione e natura umana. Studio sulla teoria della conoscenza di David Hume, il Mulino, Bologna 1998
• L. Greco, L'io morale. David Hume e l'etica contemporanea, Liguori, Napoli 2008
• F. Laudisa, Hume, Carocci, Roma 2009
• A. Santucci, Introduzione a Hume, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1999

"In addition to the texts mentioned in the bibliography at point 1, non-attending students are required to read the following texts in their entirety:

• C. Galli, All’insegna del Leviatano. Potenza e destino del progetto politico moderno, in T. Hobbes, Il Leviatano, Bur, Milano 2011 (ma anche edizioni successive), pp. V-L
• A Pacchi, Introduzione alla lettura del «Saggio sull'intelletto umano» di Locke, Unicopli, Milano 2008
• F. Laudisia, Hume, Carocci, Roma 2009.

Non-attending students should contact the professor via email to arrange an appointment.

Teaching methods

Ex cathedra lessons.

Assessment methods

The final oral exam focuses on the programme’s material and will be held in the Professor’s office, Via Zamboni, 38.

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 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

Slides with lecture material will be made available online during the course. Some lectures will be recorded and made available to all students.

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Cerrato