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: Scheler, Russell, Heidegger, Arendt: Three Philosophers and One (Non-)Philosopher Confronting the Major Events of Their Time

The course is divided into two parts; in the first, students will be introduced to theoretical philosophy, exploring its various expressions in relation to methods, argumentative techniques, and expository styles that can be adopted when reflecting on the fundamental questions of human existence, the unquestioned assumptions underlying different forms of knowledge, and the nature and status of philosophy. Once students have become familiar with some of the main ways of understanding philosophical theory, the second part will address the course’s central theme: the relationship between philosophical theories, the philosophers who proposed them, and the major historical events they experienced. We will focus, in particular, on Max Scheler (1874–1928), who in November 1914, shortly after the outbreak of World War I, published the warmongering essay *The Genius of War*; on Bertrand Russell and his utilitarian-based pacifist text *The Ethics of War* (1915); Martin Heidegger and his “Self-Assertion of the German University,” the speech he delivered in 1933, when Hitler had been in power for only a few months and the author of *Being and Time* assumed the position of rector of the University of Freiburg; Hannah Arendt and Organized Guilt and Universal Responsibility, written between late 1944 and early 1945, when the war was not yet over and the full, shocking extent of the Nazi policy of extermination was only just becoming clear. The texts will be read and discussed in their entirety and will, of course, be contextualized  within the thought and work of the thinkers who wrote them. The guiding questions of the course are as follows: Does philosophy provide conceptual tools useful for understanding and critically evaluating social and political reality? Or is it the social and political reality of the moment and of the particular cultural context of origin that expresses itself in philosophical theories and inevitably permeates them with itself?

 

Readings/Bibliography

The complete course program will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course. The following is a preliminary list of required readings:

PART ONE 

1. R. Casati, Prima lezione di filosofia, Laterza, Roma 2021.
2. J.E.H. Smith, Il filosofo. Una storia in sei figure, Einaudi, Torino 2016.

SECOND PART

1. Max Scheler, Der Genius des Krieges (The Genius of War), in “Die Neue Rundschau,” XXV/10, 1914, pp. 1327-1352 (the text will be provided in italian translation by the instructor and uploaded to Virtuale).
2. Bertrand Russell, The Ethics of War, in International Journal of Ethics, 25/2, 1915, pp. 127-142 (the text will be provided in italian translation by the professor and uploaded to Virtuale).
3. Martin Heidegger, L'autoaffermazione dell’università tedesca, in Id., L’autoaffermazione dell’università tedesca; Il rettorato 1933-34, Il Melangolo, Genova 2001, pp. 33-45 (the text will be uploaded to Virtuale).
4. Colpa organizzata e responsabilità universale, tratto da Archivio Arendt I: 1930-1948, a cura di S. Forti, cap. 10 (the text will be uploaded to Virtuale).
   

 

PLEASE NOTE: Since the lecture recordings and course slides will be available on Virtuale, the exam program is the same for attending and non-attending students; non-attending students are therefore required to view the recorded lectures and slides that will be uploaded to Virtuale, which are an integral part of the exam program.

 

Teaching methods

Lectures; reading and commenting of texts; discussion on the main issues covered in the course.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of an oral interview, which will assess the knowledge of the texts and the ability to critically discuss the proposed issues.

 

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

During 2026, the following exam sessions are scheduled:

• May 25

• June 23

• July 8

• September 9

• October 7

• November 4

• December 9

  

Grade assessment criteria:

30 cum laude: Excellent, both in knowledge and in the critical and expressive articulation.

30: Very good. Complete, well-articulated and correctly expressed knowledge, with some critical insights.

27-29: Good. Comprehensive and satisfactory knowledge, substantially correct expression.

24-26: Fairly good. Knowledge is present in the main points, but it is not comprehensive and not always correctly articulated.

21-23: Sufficient. Sometimes superficial knowledge, but the common thread is understood. Incomplete and often inappropriate expression and articulation.

18-21: Almost sufficient. Superficial knowledge, the common thread is not understood with continuity. Expression and articulation have significant gaps.

Not sufficient: Absent or very incomplete knowledge, lack of orientation in the discipline, defective and inappropriate expression.

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

Teaching tools

Powerpoint, Virtuale, Panopto

Office hours

See the website of Giuliana Mancuso