90064 - History of Philosophy from Renaissance to Enlightenment (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide depth knowledge on modern philosophical culture of the period that goes from fifteenth to the eighteenth century, with particular interest for Renaissance philosophical texts, seventeenth century philosophy and and Enlightenment philosophy. In this perspective, which focuses on modernity and its origins, specific themes will be examined and classical texts questioned, contextualizing their analysis in the framework of long-term traditions, but also underlining moments of crisis and rupture with the past. The aim of the course is to allow students to autonomously face the reading of philosophical texts in a historical perspective; to perceive the relevance of historiographical and methodological questions related to periodization and polarity between continuity and disruption; to know the main lines of modern and contemporary historiography, acquiring, at the same time, the awareness of the problematic nature and complexity of philosophical research.

Course contents

Course Title: «Savour of atheism»? Jean Bodin and Tommaso Campanella: paradigms of natural religion in the late Renaissance

In European culture between the late Renaissance period and the Enlightenment the relationship between reason, religion and nature was structured according to some peculiar, unconventional concepts. These concepts were inspired by the need for a critical review of the traditional beliefs and the desire to shed light on what sed the conflicts dividing consciences and society. The manifestations of philosophical and religious dissent typical of the Libertine model were thus accompanied by different argumentative paths, the objective of which was to define an alternative concept of religion that answered to man's natural impulses and rational capabilities. A religion not as a revelation, but as a natural process, and therefore accessible to humanity in every era; a religion inspired by the principles of freedom, designed to promote general well-being and civil harmony.

In this context, Jean Bodin and Tommaso Campanella express exemplary paths and attitudes. In the late 16th century, following the traumatic experience of the religious wars, the ideal, put forward by Bodin in his Colloquium Heptaplomeres, of an authentic religious nucleus that was both ‘natural’ and ‘biblical’ (as opposed to the impenetrable tenets of Christianity, which he criticised with some extremely radical arguments) was intertwined with the acknowledgement that a plurality of faiths existed and that tolerance was imperative in order to protect the sovereignty of the State.

Ten years later, however, while leaving ample room for theological concerns and arguments from ‘doubters’ and the ‘ungodly’, Campanella in his Ateismo trionfato rejected the joint legacy of the Machiavellians and Libertines and their interpretation of religion as a purely political instrument to garner recognition of the Christian religion as a full manifestation of natural law, and proposed and welcomed a restoration of Christianity that would establish it as the guiding principal of a transformation of European policy towards a universalist and egalitarian approach.

The positions of the two thinkers - united by their petitions for religious pacification and the reform of knowledge, added to the pursuit of true morality and social harmony - led to new breakthroughs in the ethical-religious and political sphere on the one hand, and on the other to a lively historiographical debate that the course will seek to retrace and illustrate.

The work on Bodin and Campanella will be introduced by 3 classes dealing with the historical and philosophical context of these authors and an introduction of the problems and the primary reasons behind their thinking. In later classes, the teacher will guide the students along the path of a reading, analysis and collective discussion of their texts. Particular attention will be given to the Colloquium Heptaplomeres (5 classes) and the Ateismo trionfato (5 classes); to the presence of similar themes in other Bodin's writings, such as Paradosso sulla virtù and Demonomania degli stregoni  (1 class); to the Città del Sole and other political writings of Campanella (1 class).

Readings/Bibliography

1. During the classes will be read the following texts (or any part):

J. Bodin, Paradosso sulla virtù, a cura di A. Suggi, Torino, Aragno, 2009, pp. 5-59, 109-123;**

J. Bodin, Colloquium Heptaplomeres, a cura di C. Peri, Milano Asefi, 2003: Libro I (in full); Libro II, pp. 111-115, 121-134, 158-159; Libro III, pp. 221-225, 228-229, 232-242; Libro IV, pp. 269-282, 287-292, 296-299, 308-315, 319-320, 349-351, 356-364; Libro V, pp. 367-380, 384-389, 392-396, 400-408, 418-425, 433-437, 440-441, 446-455; Libro VI, pp. 470-480, 486-492, 500-503, 514-516, 529-536, 543-545, 548-553, 562-563, 584-589, 591-593, 610-615, 634-645.**

T. Campanella, L'ateismo trionfato, a cura di G. Ernst, Pisa, Edizioni della Normale, 2004, vol. I.

**N.B.: Materials marked with double asterisk are available on the IOL platform.

2. In addition to in-depth knowledge of the texts referred to in paragraph 1, all studens must read one of the following essays:

G. Ernst, Il carcere, il politico, il profeta. Saggi su Tommaso Campanella, Pisa-Roma, Istituti Editoriali e Poligrafici Internazionali, 2002;

G. Ernst, Tommaso Campanella. Il libro e il corpo della natura, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2002;

V. Frajese, Profezia e machiavellismo. Il giovane Campanella, Roma, Carocci, 2002;

A. Panichi, Il volto fragile del potere. Religione e politica nel pensiero di Tommaso Campanella, Pisa, ETS, 2015;

S. Ricci, Campanella. Apocalisse e governo universale, Roma, Salerno, 2018;

A. Suggi, Sovranità e armonia. La tolleranza religiosa nel Colloquium Heptaplomeres di Jean Bodin, Roma, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2005;

C. Vasoli, Armonia e giustizia. Studi sulle idee filosofiche di Jean Bodin, a cura di E. Baldini, Firenze, Olschki, 2008.

N.B.: The course program is the same, as for attending and not attending students. Anyway, students who cannot attend classes or who don't know Italian may contact the teacher (in office hours, and not by e-mail) to decide upon any additional or alternative readings.

Teaching methods

The course consists of 15 lessons.

Since it is a course/seminar, attending students will be encouraged to conduct brief individual works of critical analysis on topics or authors relating to the course contents.

These works will have value to the examination.

The course will be held in the second semester and will start on February 3rd, 2020.

Timetable

- Monday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Room B, Via Centotrecento;

- Thursday, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Room E, Via Zamboni 34;

- Friday, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Room E, Via Zamboni 34.

Office hours: Prof. Scapparone office hours take place on Thursday, h. 16-17 p.m. (Department of Philosophy and Communication, Via Zamboni 38, 3rd Floor, Office 3.08).

During the first semester of lessons (October-December 2019), office hours are anticipated to Wednesday, keeping the same timetable.

Assessment methods

Final oral examination.

Students who have attended the course will be able, if they wish, to integrate the examination with short essays or presentations on topics agreed with the teacher.

In accordance with the class, a written text on a specific part of the program could be organized. Detailed procedures about this text shall be laid down at the beginning of the course.

Assessment criteria

The goal of the exam is to measure the achievement of the following learning objectives:

- Analysis and interpretation of Bodin and Campanella's philosophical texts;

- Knowledge of secondary literature works listed in the bibliography, combined with the ability to learn how to reference them in autonomous and critical forms;

- Knowledge of the history of modern philosophy.

The student's ability to learn how to operate with confidence and autonomy within the sources and the secondary literature and the possession of a language and forms of expression appropriate to the discipline will be assessed in a particular manner.

Assessment thresholds

30 with distinction: Excellent results for the solidity of skills, wealth of critical articulation, expressive properties and maturity.

30: Excellent result: complete and well-articulated knowledge of themes addressed in lessons, with critical ideas, and illustrated with adequate expressive features.

29-27: Good result: complete knowledge and adequately contestualized, fundamentally correct presentation.

26-24: Moderate result: knowledge is present in the essential areas, though not thorough and not always articulated correctly.

23-21: Sufficient result: superficial or purely mnemonic understanding of the subject, confused articulation of the presentation, with often inappropriate expression.

20-18: Barely sufficient result: knowledge of the subject, articulation during discussions and methods of expression demonstrate considerable gaps in understanding.

< 18: Insufficient result, exam failed. The student is invited to attend a subsequent exam session where the essential skills have not been acquired, lacking the ability to orient themselves within the subjects of the course and of the same discipline and where the methods of expression demonstrate considerable gaps in understanding.

Teaching tools

Slides and photocopies (limited to hard to find texts);

Advanced seminars;

Any individualized works.

Office hours

See the website of Elisabetta Scapparone