B5055 - History of Ancient Philosophy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will have acquired (1) an in-depth knowledge of an author, a work, or a philosophical topic specific to Greek or Roman antiquity in relation to its historical context, and (2) three sets of skills: (a)philological– the ability to offer an independent analysis of an ancient text employing the appropriate tools for the study of Greek and Roman philosophy; (b)dialectical– the skills for discussing a philosophical problem, both synchronically and diachronically, in the light of the pertinent critical literature; (c)rhetorical– the capacity to defend exegetical and philosophical theses in both oral (through group discussion and individual presentation) and written form (in a variety of appropriate formats).

Course contents

“The Great Hope”: A Slow Reading of Plato’s Phaedo

According to Plato, we are embodied souls: this is our identity as human beings. His great masterpiece of the middle period, the Republic, is devoted to the time of life. Yet there is another work, probably written during the same years and complementary to it, which completes this natural history of the human soul by investigating what lies beyond embodied existence and brings its life cycle to completion. This courageous philosophical work, which ventures a wager on what must remain invisible and unknowable—the existence of the soul before birth and after death—is the Phaedo.

By recalling the final day of Socrates’ life, Phaedo of Elis preserves his teacher’s paradoxical conviction that death is a good. This is not, however, merely an opinion, but Socrates’ “great hope” (pollē elpis): the reasonable belief that the inescapable future is ultimately good. This is the challenge that the Phaedo poses to its readers, taking up one of the central themes of the Apology: is there a way to overcome the “scandal of death,” which, by bringing our brief lives—no more than a butterfly’s wingbeat in the immensity of time—to an end, seems to deprive them of all value? If there is an answer, it must lie in the continuity of existence and in its possible forms—in those forms of immortality to which human beings, though intrinsically mortal, may nevertheless gain access.

Over the course of fifteen lectures, we shall read the Phaedo in search of the arguments that make hope “great,” that is, the reasons for hoping in our eternal good. Are we persuaded by them? Are Plato’s arguments convincing? And if they are not, what becomes of hope?

The course will combine philosophical, philological, and historical approaches. Philosophically, we shall reconstruct and assess the dialogue’s arguments. Philologically, we shall pay close attention to Plato’s original vocabulary and to the distinctive formulations of the Greek language. Historically, we shall read the Phaedo in constant dialogue with its Socratic antecedent, the Apology (as well as other relevant Platonic texts), and with the Orphic and Pythagorean traditions to which Plato was undeniably indebted and with which he entered into a rich philosophical dialogue. Finally, we shall examine the role played by visual imagery and myth in enabling readers to grasp the full philosophical significance of the dialogue.

In the final meetings of the course, students will be invited to undertake the exercise of close reading themselves by presenting and discussing the closing pages of the dialogue with the class.

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SFA (1) (MA) will be offered in the second semester, third teaching period.

First class: Wednesday, 3 February 2027, 3:00 p.m., Room C.

 

Schedule:

• Wednesday, 3:00–5:00 p.m., Room C (Via Zamboni 32);

• Thursday, 3:00–5:00 p.m., Room C;

• Friday, 3:00–5:00 p.m., Room C.

  

* Any supplementary activities (conferences, seminars, etc.) will be reported on the Filosofia Antica a Bologna Facebook page.

Readings/Bibliography

Sources

• Platone, Fedone, introduction and notes by Cesare Lami, translation by Pierangiolo Fabrini, Milano: BUR, 1996; or Platone, Fedone, introduction by Franco Trabattoni, translation and notes by Stefano Martinelli Tempesta, Torino: Einaudi, 2011.
• Anthology of selected passages included in the course handout (for attending students only).

Secondary Literature

(A) Introduction to the work read during the course

• Maddalena Bonelli, Leggere il Fedone di Platone, Roma: Carocci, 2015.

(B) Thematic in-depth essays (choose one)

• Claudia Bloeser, Hope, in Vocabolario Treccani.it, s.v., URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hope/ (accessed July 25, 2025); and Douglas Cairns, Can We Find Hope in Ancient Greek Philosophy? Elpis in Plato and Aristotle, in David Konstan (ed.), Emotions Across Cultures: Ancient China and Greece, Berlin: De Gruyter, 2022, pp. 41–74.
• Mauro Bonazzi, Creature di un sol giorno: I Greci e il mistero dell’esistenza, Torino: Einaudi, 2020.
• Riccardo Di Giuseppe, La teoria della morte nel Fedone platonico, Bologna: il Mulino, 1993.
• Shelly Kagan, Sul morire: Lezioni di filosofia sulla vita e la sua fine(2012), Italian trans. by Aldo Piccato, Milano: Mondadori, 2019 (chapters V–XVI).
• Vito Mancuso, Destinazione speranza, Milano: Garzanti, 2024.

* The reading list may be supplemented during the course.

** Attending students who wish to do so may replace the study of one of the texts listed under (B) with a written paper (10–15 standard pages) on a topic related to the course. The topic must be agreed upon with the teacher, and the paper must be written following the guidelines provided in the writing seminar, which will take place during a 3-hour supplementary class session. The seminar materials will be available on the Virtuale platform. The paper must be submitted by email (in both .docx and .pdf format) one week before the exam date, according to the schedule provided.

Teaching methods

LECTURES COURSE (15 lectures)

Adopted methods:

• Slow reading of the sources in the original language and through a comparison of translations.
• Linguistic analysis and semantic fields.
• Argumentative analysis and short essays (pensum).

PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING SEMINAR (an additional 3-hour lecture)

• Editing guidelines.
• Reading essay of an ancient work: form and contents.

Assessment methods

EXAM SYLLABUS

The exam syllabus for both attending and non-attending students is detailed under the section Required Texts / Bibliography and includes:

(1) The study of the primary sources analysed during the course.

(2) An introduction to the work read during the course.

(3) A critical essay offering in-depth thematic analysis of one of the topics addressed in the course.

* As an alternative to point (3), attending students who wish to do so may submit a written paper.

 

EXAM ASSESSMENT

The exam will be considered overall sufficient only if each of its components is individually sufficient. The final grade will be the average of the marks obtained in the individual parts, based on the following criteria: knowledge of historical and philosophical content, depth of analysis, and critical thinking.

 

Grading scale:

• 18–20: sufficient level

• 21–24: average level

• 25–27: good level

• 28–30: very good/excellent level

• 30 with honors (30L): outstanding level

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

• Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a useful tool to support independent study by providing additional explanations, summaries, and opportunities for self-assessment. With regard to the assessment of learning: (1) During in-person examinations, the use of AI is strictly prohibited. Any use of AI will be considered a violation of academic integrity. (2) The use of AI is also prohibited in take-home assessments (papers). Such work will be validated through the review of the required preparatory materials submitted by students and, where appropriate, by means of an oral discussion.

Teaching tools

• Handout with excerpts from ancient works.
• Partition diagrams and concept maps.
• Handbooks.
• Web pages.
• Databases and bibliographical repertoires.

 

* All materials will be shared in class and made available to students on Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Carlotta Capuccino