27280 - Seminars (1)

Learning outcomes

The philosophy Seminars propose general objectives, which are those specific teaching seminar: (1) to train the students to philosophical discussion urging participation in conferences and presentations of Italian and foreign scholars; (2) deepen the topics of the courses through participation in philosophical lectures by specialists also of other universities; (3) broaden their thematic and methodological horizons to complete offered teaching.

Course contents

On the luminescence of ambivalence. Figures and modes in knowledge-making.

Main aim: resuming the composition of ecological profiles for Modern rationality.

Secondary goals: bringing together aspects of teaching and aspects of research; providing further reading advice regarding the contemporary ecological movement; creating an interface between students and researchers.

These are rather ambivalent times for epistemology, ethics, politics. Ecology and its features is increasingly becoming an umbrella term with different and even conflicting meanings. It seems that ecology and economy are parting ways, even when the latter is borrowing concepts from the former, such as sustainability and resilience. Furthermore, the large and quick spillover of data and information often bears confusion upon the reception of the scientific discourse’s contents by external actors, enhancing various tempers in contemporary sensus communis. Not always does the relationship between life and knowledge appear untroubled, neat or straightforward: it seems rather locked down in the false dichotomy “scientific expertise vs. individual will”, which is nothing more than the Kantian distinction “theoretical/practical” reified.

After having dealt with the topic of sentimental growth, having hence explored implications brought by concepts such as proximity and commensurability, these year’s lectures will carry on elaborating on the ambivalent relation of scientific knowledge and conditions of the living. The attempt of going beyond the aforementioned dualism “expert knowledge/pure will” will bring the lectures towards the transdisciplinary aspects of this relationship, where problems get exchanged and disciplines get mutually articulated.

The overall aim is the institution of protocols for minoritarian thought, halfways between ecological sensibility and economic rationality, useful for conceptualising new states of equilibrium between acting-the-mind and speaking-the-life.

This year as usual, after introducing some preliminary notions, the main focus will be on applied experimentation of methods in philosophical ecology: next to more didactic interventions held by professors and expert researchers both from this and other universities, there will be also be lectures held by younger researchers dealing with the topics at hand. Consequently, third-year students will get acquainted with philosophical arguments carried out by researchers, hopefully preparing the continuation towards and M. Sc. and foreshadowing a possible future in the field, learning from first-hand experience how research plays out, from its initial stagee to the obtainment of more expert contents.

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliografia principale

G. De Fazio, P.F. Lévano, I. Sorrentino, Prontuario di Ecosofia, Ventura, 2019 (nuova edizione in pubblicazione);

F. Guattari, Le tre ecologie, Sonda, 2019;

A. Naess, Ecosofia. Ecologia, società e stili di vita, Red, 1994;

 

Bibliografia complementare:

M. Iofrida, Per un paradigma del corpo: una rifondazione filosofica dell’ecologia, Quodlibet, 2019;

P.F. Lévano, Decolonizzare la lettura. Indecidibilità nella prosa rioplatense (1960-1969), “Philosophy Kitchen”, 14, 2021, pp. 197-209;

P. Amoroso, Pensiero terrestre e spazio di gioco. L’orizzonte ecologico dell’esperienza a partire da Merleau-Ponty, Mimesis, 2019;

G. De Fazio, Ecologia del possibile. Razionalità, esistenza, amicizia, ombre corte, 2021;

P. Missiroli, Teoria critica dell’Antropocene. Vivere dopo la Terra, vivere nella Terra, Mimesis, forthcoming;

P. Anker, Imperial Ecology: Environmental Order in the British Empire, 1895-1945, Harvard University Press, 2001;

M. Ciardi, Breve storia delle pseudoscienze, Milano, Hoepli, 2021;

F. Marsciani, Tracciati di Etnosemiotica, FrancoAngeli, 2016.

Teaching methods

Following the format of past editions, two-hour lectures will consist thus: one hour of exposition and one hour of debate with an active participation by the students, who will be able to raise questions and actively participate. Bibliographical informations will be given before the starting of the course by blog ubiminorblog.wordpress.com, where it will be possible for students to consult abstracts with specific bibliographical hints, in order to be able to read without delays  texts which could be of interest for them; moreover, they will receive by mailing list all the didactic materials useful for their study. The web site will also be constantly updated with reports of past cycles and all informations best performing their activities.  

Assessment methods

To obtain eligibilty it will ne necessary to attend  al least   11 lessons out of the total of 15, by signing up to a mailing list following the instructions that will be communicated at the start of the course,as this mailing list will be one of the ways to ascertain the frequency.

Teaching tools

See teaching methods.

Office hours

See the website of Manlio Iofrida