30413 - Philosophy Laboratory (1) (G.D)

Learning outcomes

The student learns to read and critically analyze philosophical texts and to write a philosophical essay.

Course contents

“A Delian Diver Would Be Needed”: Heraclitus of Ephesus and the Boundaries of His Soul

The laboratory will take the form of a seminar devoted to the reading, translation, and commentary of a selection of fragments and testimonia attributed to Heraclitus of Ephesus. Our work will be guided by the major critical editions currently available and by the relevant secondary literature.

In a curious passage of his Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Diogenes Laertius writes:

“It is said that Euripides gave Heraclitus’ book to Socrates and asked him, ‘What do you think of it?’ He replied, ‘The parts I have understood are excellent, and I believe the parts I have not understood are excellent as well. But it would take a Delian diver.’” (II 22, emphasis added)

According to the tradition, these words were spoken by Socrates, the philosopher who, more than anyone else, spoke through images and devoted his life to philosophical inquiry—that is, to examining the souls of his interlocutors by submitting their beliefs to the test of reason, at least according to Plato's testimony. Socratic examination is therefore, first and foremost, a cognitive one: it concerns the beliefs we hold about ourselves and about the world. In this case, however, the examination Socrates considers necessary is directed not at a living mind but at a written work, and it presents itself as a genuinely heroic undertaking. To plunge into the depths of Heraclitus' thought is to pass beyond the surface of the enigmatic words he has left us in the hope of reaching—Heidegger would have said—"the thing itself," now lost.

Over the fifteen meetings of this laboratory, we shall take up Socrates' challenge by becoming divers into thought, ready to descend to the very boundaries of Heraclitus' soul and explore the deepest layers of his philosophy—from ceaseless becoming to the paradoxical unity of opposites, from the ever-living fire to the universal logos—in search of his vision of the world and of the human condition.

The first meeting will provide an overview of the principal themes in Heraclitus' thought and will be devoted to the formation of working groups and the assignment of the fragments. The following three meetings will consist of a writing seminar designed to prepare students for the research paper required for the final assessment, focusing on both its structure and its content. The fifth and sixth meetings will be devoted, respectively, to an introduction to the life and thought of Heraclitus and to a model presentation illustrating the kind of work expected. Beginning in the third week, each group will in turn present the fragments and secondary literature assigned to it, after completing its research and textual analysis under the supervision of the course tutors.

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The Laboratory (1) (G.D) will take place in the Second Semester, Fourth Period.

First class: Wednesday, March 31 2027, 3pm, Classroom C.

 

Schedule:

Monday, 3-5pm, Classroom C (Via Zamboni, 34);

Wednesday, 3-5pm, Classroom C;

Friday, 3-5pm, Classroom C.

 

* Attendance is mandatory (at least 13 sessions out of 15).

** Knowledge of the Greek language is not essential to participate in the workshop.

*** Any supplementary activities (conferences, seminars, etc.) will be reported on the Filosofia Antica a Bologna [http://https://www.facebook.com/filosofiaanticaabologna/] Facebook page.

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General Information

The Philosophy Laboratory has three main purposes: education in writing and editorial standards used by the scientific community; introduction to the use of bibliographic tools; introduction to reading a classic philosophical text and writing a short essay.

The success of workshops ideally requires regular attendance of all students at all sessions. In order to be admitted to the final exam and achieve a pass, students will need to have attended at least 12 out of 15 classes (24 hours out of 30).

Students can choose from several proposals of Philosophy Laboratories. Programmes and teachers’ names are available on the website of the First Cycle Degree/Bachelor in Philosophy. Up to 40 students may attend each laboratory. Classes will be given in Italian or in English, as indicated by each teacher on their laboratory web pages.

Please enrol via Studenti On Line, by clicking on the tab 'Prenotazioni' and the Laboratory of your choice. Registrations for each laboratory will automatically close after the first three sessions. Students may register for only one workshop at a time. Each list will accept a maximum of 40 registrations.

Attendance — both face-to-face and online, if streaming is available — will be verified by signature on sign-in sheets or by log-in online. In the light of several unpleasant episodes of signature falsification in recent years, in the case of even just a single falsified signature, the student will be excluded from the final exam and will have to wait until the next year to attend the Laboratory again. The same standards will hold for students submitting papers which are totally or partially copied from published sources or digital texts.

Only in the event of certified inability to attend the Workshop are students allowed to arrange an alternative programme with the relevant teacher of the module in question. Such cases include:

- working students who cannot obtain specific permission to attend the Laboratory. These students shall inform the teacher at the beginning of the module and provide a declaration of their employers stating their inability to attend.

- students who are participating in exchange programmes (Erasmus, Overseas, etc.). These students shall promptly provide documentary evidence to the teacher showing their inability to attend on grounds of residence abroad.

For attending students assessment will consist in the submission and discussion of a short essay on the philosophical text discussed in the Laboratory attended. The essay will be evaluated both for form and for content.

During the Laboratory, teachers will provide instructions on how to write the final essay.

 

Readings/Bibliography

• Hermann Diels e Walther Kranz, I Presocratici [1903-1951], edited by Giovanni Reale, Milano: Bompiani, 2006.

* The complete bibliography will be provided at the beginning of the Laboratory.

Teaching methods

LECTURES (1 introductory / organizational session of 2 hours; 2 sessions conducted by experts in the field)

Adopted methods:

• Diagrams.
• Handouts / Slides.

PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING SEMINAR (3 sessions, each of 2 hours)

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

SLOW READING SEMINAR (9 sessions, each of 2 hours)

Adopted methods:

• Slow reading of the sources in the original language.
• Group work.
• Drafting of a handout.
• Oral presentations.
• Group discussion.

Assessment methods

EXAM PROGRAMME

The final evaluation consists of two required components, one oral and one written, both of which are mandatory in order to obtain credit for the course.

(1) The oral exam consists of a group presentation during the course of the seminar.
(2) The written exam consists of an essay based on the analysis of the ancient sources discussed during the seminar. The essay should explore one of the topics covered in class and include a critical discussion supported by relevant scholarly literature. It must be between 5 and 7.5 standard Word pages (or equivalent word processing software), plus a bibliography, and must follow the guidelines outlined in the Norme per un saggio breve [Instructions for a Short Essay] uploaded to the Virtuale platform.

 

EXAM ASSESSMENT
The exam will be considered overall satisfactory only if both the oral presentation and the written paper (in both form and content) are individually deemed satisfactory.

 

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

• Handouts.
• Partition diagrams and concept maps.
• Handbooks.
• Web sites.
• TLG, databases and bibliographical repertoires.

Office hours

See the website of Carlotta Capuccino