39423 - History of Modern Philosophy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The course offers advanced insights into the major currents, key issues, and leading figures of modern philosophical thought. Students develop skills in the critical reading of philosophical texts, situating their analysis within broader, long-term intellectual traditions. Emphasis is placed on the ability to engage with the main interpretative and historiographical frameworks, and to assess the contemporary relevance of modern philosophy within current cultural and philosophical debates.

Course contents

Spinoza and the Construction of Freedom: Power, Imagination, and Institutions

 

Spinoza's thought continues to provide indispensable conceptual resources for understanding some of the central issues in contemporary philosophy and political theory. Questions concerning the relationship between religion and politics, the status of the collective passions, and the role of institutions receive in his work a radical formulation, in which the critique of imagination and religious authority is intertwined with an analysis of the mechanisms that produce obedience and of the conditions for the freedom to philosophize. These themes will be explored through a close reading of the Theological-Political Treatise, followed by an examination of the Political Treatise, in which the question of freedom of thought is extended into a theory of the civil order as the composition of individual powers into a common power. Within this framework, monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy are examined not as ideal models but as distinct institutional configurations through which relations of power may be organized, thereby making the stability of collective life possible. The course forms part of the initiatives marking the 350th anniversary of the death of Baruch Spinoza (1677–2027) and will be enriched by a series of seminars delivered by leading scholars in contemporary Spinoza studies, offering students the opportunity to engage directly with current international debates on the major themes addressed throughout the course.

Readings/Bibliography

Required Reading (for attending and non-attending students)

 

MONOGRAFIC COURSE

• Spinoza, Trattato teologico-politico, trad. e note di O. Proietti, in Opere, a cura e con saggio introduttivo di F. Mignini, Mondadori, Milano 2007 (capp. 16-20).

• Spinoza, Trattato politico, trad. e note di O. Proietti, in Opere, a cura e con saggio introduttivo di F. Mignini, Mondadori, Milano 2007 (capp. 1-5).

 

Studies. Two texts of your choice

• Laurent Bove, La strategia del conatus. Affermazione e resistenza in Spinoza, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2002.

• A. Matheron, Scritti su Spinoza, a cura di F. Del Lucchese, Milano, Mimesis 2009.

• Diego Donna, Norma, segno, autorità. Filosofia, teologia e politica in Spinoza, Bononia University Press, Bologna 2019.

• E. Giancotti, Studi su Hobbes e Spinoza, Napoli, Bibliopolis 1995, pp. 57-82; 181-210; 259-278.

• Yitzhak Y. Melamed, Hasana Sharp (eds.), Spinoza’s Political Treatise. A Critical Guide, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2018.

• W. Montag, Bodies, Masses, Power: Spinoza and His Contemporaries, Verso, London 1999.

• Susan James, Spinoza on Philosophy, Religion, and Politics. The Theologico-Political Treatise, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2012.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures and reading of texts in the classroom, together with discussion of the most important topics and direct participation of the students.

The course includes a seminar-style section in which students are invited to prepare a short presentation lasting 15 min, discussed in class, on the topics of the course, or a topic chosen in agreement with the teacher, which will contribute to the final evaluation. Active participation in the seminar will be a fundamental aspect for the success of the course. For non-attending students, as well as for those who did not give a presentation in class, an additional paper is required (3000 words excluding bibliography).

Assessment methods

The attendance of the entire course corresponds to 6 credits. The programme is unique for both attending and non-attending students.

The oral examination takes place in the teacher's studio and tends to verify:

1. the historical-philosophical knowledge acquired through attendance at the lessons, the study of the basic texts and the relative bibliography
2. the degree of understanding and critical reworking of the proposed content
3. expressive skills and the ability to orient oneself among the main lines of interpretation

Attendance is considered relevant both to the learning process and to the assessment.

Exam registration is available through the ALMAESAMI platform. The dates of each exam session are published on the Professor’s webpage.

 

Verification criteria
30 cum laude: excellent proof, for solidity of knowledge and critical processing skills

30: excellent proof, adequate knowledge and expressive richness

27-29: good proof, satisfactory knowledge, correct expression

24-26: discrete proof, non-exhaustive and partially correct knowledge

21-23: sufficient proof, general knowledge, confused expression

18-21: barely sufficient proof. Poor articulation and relevant theoretical gaps

<18: insufficient proof, missing or incomplete knowledge, lack of guidance in the argument.

 

Exam sessions

During the 2025/26 academic year, exam sessions are scheduled for the following months: March, May, June, July, September, October.

 

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.

 

Teaching tools

A philosophical index compiled by the instructor will be made available, containing a lexicon of the concept of “cause” from ancient to modern philosophy.

Office hours

See the website of Diego Donna