28017 - History of Ancient Philosophy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

Three main objectives: (1) philological: to provide the essential tools for the study of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy; (2) dialectical: train to the discussion of a philosophical problem by examining ancient solutions compared to other solutions, particularly in modern and contemporary philosophy; (3) rhetorical: to provide a philosophical writing method aimed at preparing a written exercise on ancient philosophy.

Course contents

The four courses of History of Ancient Philosophy this year are dedicated to two major topics in the epistemological, metaphysical and ethical fields: skepticism (BA) and the logical and causal determinism (MA).

 

The course of History of Ancient Philosophy (1) (LM) will take place in the First Semester, First Period: September 21-October 30 2020.

Hours: Tuesday, 3-5pm, Classroom C (Via Zamboni, 34); Thursday, 11am-1pm, Classroom C; Friday, 11am-1pm, Classroom C.

Start: Tuesday, September 29 2020, 3pm, 2020, Classroom C.

 

Between Freedom and Necessity: Free Will and Determinism in Ancient Thought

 

Suppose you're going through a cafeteria line and when you come to the desserts, you hesitate between a peach and a big wedge of chocolate cake with creamy icing. The cake looks good, but you know it's fattening. Still, you take it and eat it with pleasure. The next day you look in the mirror or get on the scale and think, "I wish I hadn't eaten that chocolate cake. I could have had a peach instead."

  "I could have had a peach instead." What does that mean, and is it true? (Thomas Nagel, italics mine.)

 

Readings/Bibliography

The attending students will have to know the excerpts from ancient works quoted in the handout of the course. The critical literature useful for writing the paper will be provided during the course.

Teaching methods

LECTURES COURSE (13 lectures)

Adopted methods:

• Slow reading of the sources in the original language and through a comparison of translations.
• Linguistic analysis and semantic fields.
• Argumentative analysis and short essays (pensum).

PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING SEMINAR (2 lectures)

• Editing guidelines.
• Reading essay of an ancient work: form and contents.

Assessment methods

EXAM PROGRAMME

The exam (6 credits) includes (1) a paper of 10/15 standard pages, to be drawn up according to the instructions of the writing seminar to be held during the last week of the course (summarized in the guidelines uploaded online), and (2) an oral interview. The paper will be delivered about two weeks before each exam call on the reported date; individual interviews will provide a discussion of the paper and the study of the topics covered in class (a list of 10 questions will be distributed at the end of the lessons). (2*) Students who have never taken an exam into the history of ancient philosophy in their career will have to study in addition the Diagramma cronologico [Chronological diagram] (by heart) and the Dispensa di Storia della Filosofia Antica dai Presocratici ad Agostino, uploaded online.

 

PROGRAMME FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS

Students who cannot attend for motivated reasons will have to choose, as an alternative to the 10 questions, one of the following texts:

• De Caro, Mario, et al., Libero arbitrio: Storia di una controversia, Roma: Carocci, 2014 (chapters 1-5).

• Dihle, Albrecht, The Theory of Will in Classical Antiquity, Berkeley-Los Angeles-London: University of California Press, 1982.

• Frede, Michael, A Free Will: Origins of the Notion in Ancient Thought, edited by A. A. Long, foreword by David Sedley, Berkeley-Los Angeles-London: University of California Press, 2011.

Points (1) and (2*) of the exam programme remain unchanged.

 

EXAM EVALUATION

The exam will be considered overall sufficient only if the two tests (written and oral) are both sufficient. The final mark will result from the average of the marks of each single test.

Teaching tools

• Handout with excerpts from ancient works.
• Partition diagrams and concept maps.
• Handbooks: (1) Norme di redazione per un saggio breve [Editing guidelines for a short essay]; (2) Seminario di scrittura filosofica [Philosophical writing seminar].

* All materials will be shared in class and made available to students in pdf files.

• Web pages.
• Databases and bibliographical repertoires.

Office hours

See the website of Walter Cavini