11325 - History of Philosophy B

Learning outcomes

Students learn to become familiar with trends, issues, important authors of modern philosophy, and to orient themselves in its historical interpretations. They are trained in the critical reading of philosophical texts, and in evaluation of argumentative and rhetorical strategies.

Course contents

Sensitivity and Intellect in the Seventeenth Century Philosophy

 

The course investigates the epistemological and gnoseological debate that involves some of the most important philosophers of the XVIIth century, about the relationship between mind and body and the presence of innate ideas in the mind.

In the Seventeenth century, the introduction of the experimental method in science re-settles the epistemological condition of truth within scientific discourse, rethinking the forms of representation of natural phenomena and physical laws. Descartes’s philosophy also defines a new vision of metaphysical tradition problems and redefines the relationships between Metaphysics, Science and Theology.

The relation between ideas and sensations, the nature of innate ideas, the different kinds of cognition and the relationship between different forms of human knowledge are problems that engage important philosophers and scientists such as Descartes, Arnauld, Malebranche and Leibniz.

The first thirty hours will be dedicated to the critical reading of Descartes’s Metaphysical Meditation and on Spinoza’s Ethics.

The last thirty hours will be dedicated to analyze the philosophy of Malebranche, Leibniz and Locke, focusing exclusively on the hypothetical existence of innate ideas in the mind.

Class Schedule

Starting date:September 21, 2020

First period: Mon., Wed., Thu. h. 13-15 (aula Tibiletti)

Second period: Mon. h. 13-15 (Tibiletti), Wed. h. 13-15 (aula B, 34), Thu. h. 13-15 (Tibiletti)

 

Readings/Bibliography

 1. Compulsory readings

- Texts that are be discussed in class and made available online as didactic material.

- Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy (Without The Objections and Replies"). Any editions

- Spinoza, Etihcs, First and second part. Any editions

- Malebranche, Search after Truth: First book (the Sens), cap. 1-5; Third book (the Pure Intellect): Second part, cap.1-10. Any editions

- Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, First book. Any editions

- Leibniz, New Essays on Human Understanding, Preface. Any editions

 

2. Students must choose one book for each group:

A

- Donna, D., Le catene di ragioni e l’ordine della natura. Teorie della conoscenza in Descartes e Spinoza, Milano, Mimesis, 2015
- Garin, E., Vita e opere di Descartes, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1984
- Jaquet, C., L'unità del corpo e della mente. Affetti, azioni e passioni in Spinoza, tr. it. di R. Carbone, Mimesis, Milano 2013
- Moreau, P.F., Spinoza e lo spinozismo, a cura di D. Truzzi e F. - - Tomasoni, Morcelliana, Brescia 2007
- Negri, A., Spinoza, DeriveApprodi, Roma 1998
- Scribano, E., Macchine con la mente. Fisiologia e metafisica tra Cartesio e Spinoza, Carocci, Roma 2015
-S. Landucci, La mente in Descartes. Franco Angeli, Milano 2002

B

- Allegra, A., Dopo l'anima. Locke e la discussione sull'identità personale alle origini del pensiero moderno, Edizioni Studium, Roma 2005
- Benigni, F., Itinerari dell’antispinozismo. Spinoza e le metafisiche cartesiane in Francia (1684-1718), Le lettere, Firenze, 2018
- Ceragioli, R., Antropologia e grazie nel pensiero di Malebranche, Effatà, Cantalupa, 2005
- Liske, M.-Th., Leibniz, Bologna, Il Mulino, Bologna 2007
- Mathieu, V., Introduzione a Leibniz, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1976 (3° ed. 1991)
- Mugnai, M., Introduzione alla filosofia di Leibniz, Einaudi, Torino 2001
- Piro, F., Spontaneità e ragion sufficiente: Determinismo e filosofia dell' azione in Leibniz, Edizioni di storia e letteratura, Roma 2002
- Viano, C. A., John Locke. Dal razionalismo all'illuminismo, Einaudi, Torino 1960

 

3. Basic Skills

The knowledge of fundamental authors and themes regarding the history of philosophy between the 16th and 18th centuries is required for the oral exam.

List of authors:

Erasmo da Rotterdam, Tommaso Moro, Telesio, Bruno, Campanella, Lutero, Pomponazzi, Machiavelli, Guicciardini, Bodin, Montaigne, Galilei, Bacone, Descartes, Pascal, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, Vico, Newton, Berkeley, Hume, Voltaire, Diderot, D'Alembert, Montesquieu, Condillac, Rousseau, Kant.

Please Note:

Those who have already taken the exam of History of Philosophy with prof. Burgio in this same academic year do not have to take the exam on this part of the program.

The program is the same for attending and non-attending students.

Teaching methods

Ex cathedra lessons.

Assessment methods

The final oral exam focuses on the programme’s material and will be held in the Professor’s office, Via Zamboni, 38.

The critical evaluation considers the fundamental notions, the level of the analysis and the critical skills. On the basis of these three principal parameters an overall evaluation in thirtieths is expressed.

18-21 Sufficient

22-25 Average

26-28 Good-Very Good

29-30 Excellent

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Cerrato