00399 - Theoretical Philosophy

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be familiar with some of the key moments in philosophical thought and have a synoptic view of them. They will be able both to place philosophers in historical context, and to decontextualize them to see how relevant their thinking is to contemporary philosophy. They will know the problem-concepts of meaning, reference and truth, and be able to critique a theoretical proposition set up by the teacher.

Course contents

SENSATION, PERCEPTION, REALITY. PSYCHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY IN ERNST MACH

The course will examine the THEORY OF ELEMENTS of Ernst Mach (1838-1916), one of the greatest philosophers and scientists between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from which take the cue both contemporary empiricism, positivistic and post-positivistic epistemology. In particular, we will examine the the text in which Mach presents the genesis and the constitution of experience, The analysis of sensations and the relationship between physical and psychic (1896-1922). This text will arouse a great debate, and is at the origin of both the Psychology of Gestalt and the Theory of Relativity in the physical field.

Distribution of topics in lectures:

of the 30 lectures available,
• 3 will be dedicated to a historical-philosophical excursus on the theories of knowledge of the late XIX sec.;
• 5 will be dedicated to Mach's critique of mechanism and to prejudices contained in the various theories of knowledge;
• 22 will be dedicated to the discussion and commentary of the text of Ernst Mach, The analysis of sensations.

 

Start of lectures and place:

The lectures will begin on Monday, September 21, 2020, in classroom D, via Centotrecento 18, and will be held every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 7 pm.

Readings/Bibliography

OBLIGATORY READINGS FOR ALL STUDENTS

• Ernst Mach, The analysis of sensations and the relationship between physical and psychic, Feltrinelli, Milan 1975. Note: this edition, the latest translated into Italian, is unfortunately no longer on the market, but can only be found in libraries or at some antique bookstores. However, in the "teaching material" the PDF of the Italian translation of 1903 will be made available, more than enough to read Mach's text successfully and to pass the exam. During the lectures, the teacher will refer to passages taken from the italian edition of 1975, but they differ slightly from the 1903 version. The student is therefore free to obtain the 1975 text or to use the PDF of the 1903 text; The teacher's advice is to use the PDF of the 1903 text made available in the teaching material for general reading and to focus on the steps reported and indicated in the slides always made available in the teaching material. 

• Slides and notes edited by the teacher, progressively available in the "teaching material".
• NOTE: the recorded lectures of the course are available and downloadable at the following link: MACH LECTURES - Analysis of sensations

 

ADDITIONAL READINGS: warning

Since the lectures will take place partly in presence and partly remotely (online), but in any case they will be recorded and made available to everyone, the readings here indicated as "obligatory" for non-attending students is such only for those who cannot or do not want to access and use online registrations and/or lectures in presence.

Optional additional readings for attending students:

• A. D'Elia, Ernst Mach, La Nuova Italia, Florence 1971 (available in the teaching material);
• L. Kolakowski, The philosophy of positivism, Laterza, Rome-Bari, 1974.

Additional readings for non-attending students:

• A. D'Elia, Ernst Mach, La Nuova Italia, Florence 1971 (optional, available in the teaching material);
• L. Kolakowski, The philosophy of positivism, Laterza, Rome-Bari, 1974 (obligatory).

Further bibliographical indications will be provided in class. In any case, the obligatory text and the teaching material made available (to which special attention must be paid), are sufficient to pass the exam with maximum profit.

NOTE: in the text of Mach there are numerous examples of a scientific, technical and mathematical nature that it is not necessary to know in detail: it's enough to understand the overall meaning and, above all, to refer to the slides (explanatory sheets) which summarize the philosophically most relevant points of Mach's discourse in this regard.

Teaching methods

Lectures, reading and commentary on texts and on primary sources, discussion on specific issues.

Assessment methods

Oral test with verification of specific historical and philosophical knowledge and of the level of assimilation and processing critical-conceptual content (See "Evaluation board". Each entry has a maximum of 10 points, for a total of 30 + possible laude).

Assessment criteria and thresholds of evaluation:

30 cum laude: Excellent as to knowledge, terminology and critical expression.

30: Excellent, knowledge is complete, well articulated and correctly expressed, although with some slight faults.

27-29: Good, knowledge comprehensive and satisfactory, essentially correct expression .

24-26: Fairly good, knowledge present in significant points, but not complete and not always expressed with correctness.

21-23: Sufficient, knowledge is sometimes superficial, but the guiding general thread is included. Expression and articulation incomplete and often not appropriate

18-21:.Almost sufficient, but knowledge present only on the surface. The guiding principle is not included with continuity. The expression and articulation of the speech show important gaps.

<18: Not sufficient, knowledge absent or very incomplete, lack of guidance in discipline, expression seriously deficient. Exam failed.

 

Teaching tools

Overhead Projector with PC.

Links to further information

http://www.disciplinefilosofiche.it

Office hours

See the website of Luca Guidetti