27306 - Philosophies of India and Eastern Asia (1)

Academic Year 2020/2021

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Anthropology, Religions, Oriental Civilizations (cod. 8493)

    Also valid for First cycle degree programme (L) in Philosophy (cod. 9216)

Learning outcomes

After completing the course (which includes direct reading of texts in traslation), students acquire a basic understanding of the central issues and of the historical development of philosophical thought in South Asia (along with basic notions of the history of philosophical thought in eastern Asia).  Students will also develop the ability to properly communicate (in writing and orally) the content learned, also with reference to relevant literature.

Course contents

Introduction:

1. The philosophical comparison and philosophical encounters between Europe and India: History of Orientalism, methods and aporias.

2. An ethical path crossing cultures (commented reading of key texts for the understanding of the ethical doctrines in South and East Asia).

 

Part One:

Logical-epistemological and metaphysical themes dealt with by major classical and post-classical Indian philosophical schools.

Part Two:

What is yoga? The nature of consciousness and meditative techniques.

Philosophical descriptions of the aesthetic and mystic experiences.

Readings/Bibliography

Sferra, F. (a cura di), Filosofie dell'India, Roma. Carocci, 2018 (for the examination only the reading of chapters 1, 9 and 10 is required).

- Franci, G.R., Yoga , Bologna 2008.

- Bori, P.C. / Marchignoli, S., Per un percorso etico tra culture, Roma 2004 (for the examination only the reading of Chinese and Indian texts is required).

- Marchignoli, S., L'India filosofica: un percorso tra temi e problemi del pensiero indiano, Bologna 2005 (a copy is always available at the library Giorgio R. Franci via Zamboni 33; the text can be bought, even as an electronic book, from the university service of the publisher Bonomo).

- Torella, R., Il pensiero dell'India. Un'introduzione, Roma 2008 (for the examination  only the chapters 8, 9 and 10 are required)

Recommended reading:

-Franci, G.R., Yoga , Bologna 2008.

Teaching methods

The course consists of taught classes. The teacher will regularly use pdf files for commented text readings.

Assessment methods

Written and oral examination.

The written test precedes the oral exam.

The oral test consists of the discussion of a brief work carried out by the student (see below the list of themes for the elaborate) and in short talk from the correction of the answers to the open questions of the written test.

The written test consists of 2 parts:

Part One) Texts Recognition Test: The student will have to recognize at least 7 out of 10 tracks from the Indian and Chinese texts anthologized in A) Per un percorso etico tra culture, B) L'India filosofica and C)  Sferra, F. (a cura di), Filosofie dell'India; 

 in detail (attention: Indian words are written without the usual diacritics):

A) Per un percorso etico tra culture: Il Grande Studio, Mencio, Daodejing, Bhagavadgita, Katha-upanisad, Discorso della messa in moto della ruota della legge, Brani dal Dhammapada: XII and XV, Sutra del cuore, “Editto” XII di Asoka;

B) from L'India filosofica: Nagarjuna: la dottrina delle due verità; Nagarjuna: critica dei mezzi di conoscenza; I Vaisesikasutra sulla cognizione dell'irrealtà; La relazione tra purusa e prakrti nel Samkhya;

C) from Sferra, F. (a cura di), Filosofie dell'India: Bhagavadgitabhasya di Sankara ad 18.66; Yuktidipika ad Samkhyakarika 2ab.

If the student does not pass the texts recognition test (the result is immediate) he / she will not be admitted to the last part of the exam.

Part two) Answer to three open questions.

Lastly, the student will have to hand over to the teacher, at the exam (not earlier), a very short written paper (up to 5,000 characters, or two pages approximately) on a topic chosen from the list published at the bottom of this section.

The oral examination consists in a brief discussion of this very short paper.

The paper will not be considered admissible if it does not have the following formal characteristics: 1) quotations always accompanied by the bibliographic reference of the source; 2) short final bibliography prepared by choosing and applying uniformly one of the bibliography models accepted in the academic publications.

 

Grading is based primarily on an assessment of the student's preparation, but will also take into account her/his ability of analysis and synthesis, clarity in both written and oral exposition, and use of an appropriate language.

More specifically:

  • An comprehensive vision of the topics dealt with in the course, the capacity for their critical analysis, and the use of a precise and appropriate terminology, will be evaluated with excellent to good marks;
  • A good / acceptable, but not in-depth knowledge of the subject, a limited ability in elaborating a synthesis and in producing an analysis, a use of an acceptable but not always accurate language, will be evaluated with marks ranging form mere pass level to average;
  • The lack of knowledge of the topics dealt with, the lack of preparation in elaborating analysis and synthesis, the use of inaccurate terminology and the lack of familiarity with the course bibliography, will lead to the failure to pass the examination.

This 6 CFU course can be chosen as a part of the 12 CFU Integrated Course “RELIGIONI E FILOSOFIE DELL'ASIA ORIENTALE (C.I.)". If the student has the Integrated Course (12 CFU) in his/her study plan, the final grade will result from the arithmetic average of the marks obtained in the two parts (“Filosofie dell'India e dell'Asia orientale (1)" and “Religioni e filosofia dell'Asia orientale (1)“).

List of themes for the short written work (attention: Indian words are written without the usual diacritics):

Asoka and "religious pluralism"

The Bhagavadgita: general characteristics

Brahmana and sramana

Characteristics of Indian logic-epistemology

Comparison between Vedanta and Samkhya

Dignaga: general characteristics of his thought

Philosophies of Language in India

The three "yogas" of the Bhagavadgita

The "bhaktiyoga" in the Bhagavadgita

The Discourse of the Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dhamma

Karmayoga in the Bhagavadgita

The Nyaya-Vaisesika

The problem of the existence of the "aggregates" in Nyaya-Vaisesika

The inferential process according to the Nyaya

The relationship between purusa and prakrti in the Samkhya

Martinetti's interpretation of Samkhya

The Samkhya system: general characteristics

The "tetralemma" in Buddhist thought

The Vaisesika: general characteristics

Vedanta: general characteristics

The theme of "anatta" in Buddhism

The "bhakti" in Indian thought

Role of translators in the spread of Buddhism in China

The doctrine of the pre-existence of the effect in the cause

The doctrine of emptiness in Nagarjuna

The figure of the bodhisattva

Bhartrhari's philosophy of language

Liberation in the Samkhya

The "maya" in Sankara

The nature of yogic consciousness according to Hegel

The Purvamimamsa: general characteristics

The Purvamimamsa and the philosophical defense of the Vedic word

The Pratyabhijna school

Emptiness in Nagarjuna

The "adrsta"

The atman-brahman in the Upanisads

The 4 Noble Truths in the Pali Canon and Nagarjuna

The two truths in Nagarjuna

The aesthetics of Abhinavagupta

Outlines of the history of Buddhism in India

Outlines of the history of Jainism

Outlines of the history of logic in India

The inferential scheme in the Nyaya

Patanjali's yoga: general characteristics

Logic-epistemology of Dignaga

Nagarjuna: general characteristics of his thought

Sankara: general characteristics of his thought

Sankara and the Samkhya

Buddhist schools

History of Indian logic as seen by Europeans

Dispute theory and medicine

Theories of Consciousness in Indian Thought

Indian materialism

 

 

Office hours

See the website of Saverio Marchignoli