B8932 - Moral Philosophy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

This course will address topics and texts in moral philosophy at an advanced level. At the end of the course students will be expected to possess the main abilities required from a professional moral philosopher. These include: appraise theories and justify one's own position about them; critically analyzing philosophical texts, both from classical and recent authors; originally elaborate on them; provide fresh points of view and good working hypotheses to address them. Students will have learnt how to pull apart received knowledge in the ethical and meta-ethical field, and to reconstruct it on an original basis. Moreover, they will be expected to show their ability both to write on moral topics in a professional, opinionated, and thorough way, and to effectively communicate their views to an audience.

Course contents

THEMES FROM PROTAGORAS: RELATIVISM, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND POLITICS IN PLATO’S THEAETETUS AND PROTAGORAS

The course will explore the philosophy of Protagoras (5th century BCE) through two Platonic dialogues, Theaetetus and Protagoras. The moral, political, and anthropological challenges raised by the two texts will be examined. After an introductory overview, the relevant passages will be read and discussed in class.

Besides their historical interest and powerful dramatic construction, these dialogues put a lot on the philosophical table: the question of relativism is discussed at length; a whole line of thought in philosophical anthropology (the human as an "unfinished" being) is opened, and several themes are taken up that are still with us in ethical, political, and educational debate (the viability of moral-political education; the nature of citizenship; pleasure as the supreme human end; the conceptual structure of virtue; what is courage; moral intellectualism, i.e. whether evil is done voluntarily or not, etc.). Special consideration will be given to Socrates' role in the Protagoras; in this regard, a new interpretation of his “sophistic” attitude in the text will be attempted.

No previous knowledge of ancient Greek is required, but a basic acquaintance with the history of ancient philosophy would be ideal. However, some introductory information will be provided in the first few classes.

Readings/Bibliography

SOURCES:

I will draw upon a number of English, Italian, French and German translations of Plato's text, but for the purposes of this class these are the recommended editions, which we will be commenting in class:

Plato, Protagoras, transl. with notes by C.C.W. Taylor, Oxford-New York: Oxford UP, 2nd ed. 1991.

Plato, Theaetetus and Sophist, ed. by Christopher Rowe, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015.

The Greek text of both dialogues is available on www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper.

FURTHER PHILOSOPHICAL COMMENTARIES (optional):

B. A. F. Hubbard, E. S. Karnofsky, Plato's Protagoras: A Socratic Commentary, London: Duckworth, 1982. [A commentary almost entirely in the form of questions.]

Bernd Manuwald, hrsg. von, Platon Protagoras, Göttingen: Vandehhoek & Ruprecht, 2006. [Excellent commentary, only available in German.]

Plato, Protagoras, Jowett-Ostwald transl., Introd. by Gregory Vlastos, Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1956. [The translation is not entirely reliable, but there is an influential introductory essay by Vlastos.]

Platone, Protagora, a cura di M.L. Chiesara, Milano: Rizzoli, 2010. [In Italian, excellent introduction and commentary.]

Plato, Theaetetus, transl. with notes by John McDowell, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1973, 2000. [A great philosophical commentary.]

SELECTED SECONDARY LITERATURE (recommended):

Johannes M. van Ophuijsen, Marlein van Raalte, Peter Stork, eds., Protagoras of Abdera: The Man, His Measure, Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2013.

Claude Calame, “The Pragmatics of ‘Myth’ in Plato’s Dialogues: The Story of Prometheus in the Protagoras”, and Gerd Van Riel, “Religion And Morality. Elements of Plato’s Anthropology in the Myth of Prometheus (Protagoras, 320d–322d)”, both in Catherine Collobert, Pierre Destrée, Francisco J. Gonzalez, eds., Plato and Myth: Studies on the Use and Status of Platonic Myths, Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2012.

Laurence Lampert, How Philosophy Became Socratic: A Study of Plato's "Protagoras," "Charmides," and "Republic", Chicago-London: University of Chicago Press, 2010.

Alfredo Ferrarin, “Homo Faber, Homo Sapiens, or Homo Politicus? Protagoras and the Myth of Prometheus”, Review of Metaphysics, 54, 2, Dec. 2000, pp. 289-319.

Aldo Brancacci, “La pensée politique de Protagoras”, Revue de philosophie ancienne, 30, 1, 2012, pp. 59-85.

Luc Brisson, “Le mythe de Protagoras: Essai d'analyse structurale”, Quaderni Urbinati di Cultura Classica, 20, 1975, pp. 7-37.

Ugo Zilioli, Protagoras and the Challenge of Relativism: Plato's Subtlest Enemy, Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007.

FURTHER OPTIONAL READINGS:

Students who feel the need of a general introduction to the philosophy of the relevant period may refer e.g. to Anthony Kenny, A New History of Western Philosophy, vol. 1: Ancient Philosophy, Oxford: Clarendon press, 2004 [available as a digital resource for Unibo users: log in at https://login.ezproxy.unibo.it/menu and search "E-Book"].

A useful tool for general reference and glossary is F. E. Peters, Greek Philosophical Terms: A Historical Lexicon, New York University Press, 1967.

A short introduction to Socrates' moral thinking is provided by Terence Irwin, The Development of Ethics: A Historical and Critical Study, vol. 1: From Socrates to the Reformation, New York-Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, ch. 2: "Socrates", available as a digital resource for Unibo users.

A standard treatment of the Sophistic movement is W. K. C. Guthrie, A History of Greek Philosophy, Volume 3, Part 1: The Sophists, Cambridge UP, 1971. A more innovative approach is provided by Jacqueline de Romilly, The Great Sophists in Periclean Athens, Oxford UP, 1998 (French orig. Éditions de Fallois, 1988).

 

Teaching methods

The course will mainly consist of frontal lessons, commentary on texts, and teacher-led discussions. Students' comments, reflections, and active participation are encouraged, both face-to-face and via whatever online tool will be made available by Unibo.

Lessons are scheduled to start on Monday, 15 September, 2025, and continue every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday from 15 to 17. There will be 15 classes, so the course should end on the 15th of October.

All lessons will be recorded and deposited on virtuale.unibo.it.

Please check my "News" page and Virtuale for information and updates.

Assessment methods

Students are expected to submit a final paper of 4000 to 5000 words, which will be graded on a 30/30 scale. I shall provide a list of topics, but please feel free to devise a topic of your own, provided it centrally involves one or more of the main issues raised in the course. Argumentative papers are recommended, but students coming from other fields than philosophy may suggest different kinds of treatment (e.g. literary, historical, etc.).

All papers will be written in English and emailed to me. There will be two delivery periods: 24 October-30 November and 25 June-31 July. Allowance will be made for the difficulties of students whose first language is not English, but I expect all students to make sure their writing is reasonably correct. Papers may be subsequently discussed with the teacher.

For justified reasons, students may ask to take a viva voce exam instead of the paper. The exam will be based on the bibliography as indicated in the Readings/Bibliography section. The viva test will consist in expounding, first, a topic of your choice among the course contents (please be prepared to speak approx. 15 min.; you may use notes and sources as you speak). I will subsequently ask you a few questions about the course topics.

Unlike other countries, in Italy you may take an exam without attending the course. You will be considered non-attending if you miss more than 3 classes. Non-attending students are required to study the books by Zilioli and Van Ophuijsen et alii listed above. 

During the academic year, oral exams are scheduled for October, December, February and May, but the paper can also be discussed by appointment.

Criteria for the paper’s assessment and components of the final grade:

1. Comprehension of the examined texts (knowledge of their content, ability to gather the most relevant information and the meaning): up to 11/30.

2. Clarity, thematic pertinence, breadth and structure of the exposition (ability to convey thoughts in an exhaustive, well-ordered, and clear way, and to stick to the topic): up to 5/30.

3. Correctness of writing (spelling, syntax, punctuation, style, command of the philosophical and general vocabulary): up to 5/30.

4. Logical consistency, quality and cogency of arguments: up to 5/30.

5. Originality of ideas and personal reflection (grasping the critical points of the texts, formulating objections, developing the ideas of the texts): up to 4/30;

6. Participation in class discussions: up to 1/30.

 

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders have the right to special adjustments according to their condition, following an assessment by the Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the instructor but get in touch with the Service directly to schedule an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine the appropriate adjustments. For more information, visit the page: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students . It is recommended that students contact the University office in advance. Any proposed adjustments must be submitted at least 15 days in advance for the instructor’s approval, who will evaluate their appropriateness in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

N.B.: If Moral Philosophy (1) is taken as part of the Knowledge and Ethics integrated course (2nd-cycle degree programme in Semiotics), the final evaluation will concern the integrated course and will involve assessment of achievement of the learning outcomes both in Epistemology (1) (LM) and Moral Philosophy (1) (LM). Students will take the two exams separately during the respective exams sessions.

Teaching tools

I will use slides, which I will make available on a weekly basis on the course-related webpage of the Unibo e-learning platform Virtuale (virtuale.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=69569). The webpage will also feature study topics and tools, event calendar, recordings of all classes, and it will be used for teacher-students communication and the distribution of homework.

Students (whether attending or not) are required to enrol on Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Brigati