87374 - Principles of Philosophical Anthropology (1)

Learning outcomes

Philosophical anthropology is typically meant as the reflective study of what it means to be human, i.e. of the specific character of human beings, both as naturally determined and historically formed. Being a philosophical activity, this study includes, of course, the critique of theories about human nature, as well as the very notion of there being a human nature at all.

As a discipline, philosophical anthropology is not to be confused with the particular historical school, self-styled "philosophical anthropology", which was developed by such thinkers as Plessner, Gehlen, etc., and played an important role in German philosophy from the 1920s to 1960s -- although this school is certainly a significant part of philosophical anthropology.

At the end of the course, students will be expected to understand the notions of culture and cultural difference; to be able of critically analyzing the concept of human nature on a multi-disciplinary level, with a view to anthropology, biology, and philosophy; to identify the main views of the theory of evolution, particularly as to human philogenesis; to recognize bio-historical and bio-cultural co-evolution as distinctive of human beings; and to understand human agency in the context of our relation with nonhumans and with the environment.

Students will also understand the main lines of contemporary debates in anthropology, and will grasp the connections between theoretical anthropology and philosophical frameworks such as naturalism, social constructivism, ontological pluralism. Finally, students will be able to master such fundamental tools of anthropological reasoning as the concepts of anthropomorphism, anthropocentrism, ethnocentism, difference, and analogy.

Course contents

The course consists of two units of approximately 15 hours each. The following main topics will be addressed:

First Unit:

• a tentative definition of 'philosophical anthropology';
• some fundamental antitheses in anthropological epistemology: explanation/understanding, causes/reasons, anomaly/analogy;
• elucidation of some main concepts: antropomorphism, ethnocentrism, naturalism.

Second Unit:

• some philosophical accounts of human nature from antiquity to modern thought;
• particular attention will be devoted to the following historical topics, including analyses of texts: Herodotus' and Protagoras' forms of relativism; the origin of the concept of nature; Aristotle's naturalistic anthropology; the anthropology of the Renaissance (Pico, Erasmus); Cartesian dualism and the scientific revolution.

Readings/Bibliography

(English-speaking or other visiting students are free to refer to the English editions of these readings, if available at all.)

Mandatory readings:

1. Readings provided by teacher (in Italian, about 100 pp.) and available (before the beginning) from https://iol.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=23769;
2. Michael Tomasello, Le origini culturali della cognizione umana, trad. it. Bologna: Il Mulino, 2005 [chapters 5-6 are optional]
3. Roberto Brigati e Valentina Gamberi, a cura di, Metamorfosi. La svolta ontologica in antropologia, Macerata: Quodlibet, 2019 [which will be available both from the Department Library and in bookshops before the beginning of the course].

Recommended readings:

Non-attending students (= those who miss more than 3 lessons) are advised to study: Riccardo Martinelli, Uomo, natura, mondo. Il problema antropologico in filosofia, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2004 (available free to Unibo users from www-darwinbooks-it.ezproxy.unibo.it).

Students who are not familiar with philosophical concepts and language may refer to a number of introductory and reference texts, e.g. The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, available free to Unibo users at: http://www2.sba.unibo.it.ezproxy.unibo.it/cgi-bin/bdati/banchedati.pl?type=sch&cod=1105626341.

Since classes will be entirely in Italian, exchange students may want to familiarize themselves with Italian philosophical usage, by referring to some standard philosophical dictionaries such as Nicola Abbagnano, Dizionario di Filosofia, revised by G. Fornero, Torino: UTET, various reprints.

A good handbook of the history of philosophy is also recommended, such as (in Italian) Luca Guidetti, Giovanni Matteucci, Le grammatiche del pensiero. Corso di filosofia, 3 vols., Bologna: Zanichelli, 2012. Exchange students may refer to handbooks in their own language.

 

Teaching methods

The course will mainly consist of frontal lessons and teacher-led discussions. Some simple exercises might be proposed. Student-led discussions and online activity are encouraged. If the number of students is reasonable, approximately one quarter of each lesson might be dedicated to questions and discussion. However, should the room be too crowded, we will have to use the online forum for this.

Please note that you will be requested to read at least some of the mandatory readings during the course, both in order to foster comprehension and to be able to do the assigned exercises. I recommend to download the Reading materials from campus.unibo.it and to buy or get the required books from the Library before the beginning of the course. A more detailed schedule of day-to-day readings will be indicated in due course.

Please note that, in line with established Italian academic custom, each class will begin 15 minutes after the indicated time (this is to favour students who may come from classes held in different buildings). Punctuality is appreciated, and normally students are requested not to leave the room until the class is through with.

I will be grateful to Erasmus and other exchange students who intend to attend the course if they get in touch with me before the beginning.

Assessment methods

The exam is meant to ascertain:

• students' knowledge and comprehension of the assigned readings;
• their understanding of the main views of human nature in philosophy;
• their ability to clearly present a philosophical-antropological topic;
• their ability to criticize and discuss the proposed topics.

The exam is a viva voce, in Italian. You will be first asked to present a topic of your choice, among the many offered by the course. Be ready to speak 15 to 20 minutes. You may use notes, have the readings at hand, and any resource you may need. I might then add some questions about other topics within the readings or lessons. Students will be graded on a 30/30 scale. Please note that the maximum mark is 30 cum laude; below 18/30 the exam is failed.

Unlike other countries, in Italy students are allowed to take the exam without attending classes. However, I strongly recommend exchange students to come to class on a regular basis. To be considered course-attending, students are requested to attend at least 12 lessons (24 hours).

The following criteria will weigh on evaluation:
1. Understanding of the relevant texts (correct content comprehension, detection of the texts' most relevant notions and deeper significance): 9 to 12 /30.
2. Correct linguistic expression (for Italian-speaking students): 3 to 7 /30. I will make reasonable allowance for the linguistic difficulty faced by non-Italian speakers.
3. Clarity, pertinence, good organization of the expounding: 2 to 4 /30.
4. Logical consistency and soundness of argumentation: 2 to 4 /30.
5. Originality and personal reflection: 1 to 3 /30;
6. Participation in class or online discussions: 0 to 1 /30.

Teaching tools

There will be a course-related site on the Unibo e-learning platform (URL is the same as the 12-ECTS course in Philosophical Anthropology: https://iol.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=23769). All attending students are required to subscribe. The site will feature a discussion forum, event calendar, study topics and tools, and will be used for teacher-students communication and the distribution of homework. I will also upload, on a weekly basis, the slides I will show during classes.

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Brigati