Learning objectives
Knowledge of the primary arguments of the History of Philosophy from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The type of issues covered in this course makes it possible each year to examine key moments in the history of thought of this period with special attention given to the fundamental moments in preceding historical periods. Ability to comprehend the principal lines of argument of a philosophical text, including on the basis of lexical skills that make it possible to comprehend the relevance of given philosophical terms in given historical contexts. Knowledge of the type of problems and the method of approaching them in philosophy in relation to precise historical and cultural contexts. Within the context of the outlook offered in this course, knowledge of contemporary philosophical issue, both in terms of their historical genesis as well as their current relevance.
Course unit content
Subjectivity and consciousness between philosophy and psychology
The course aims to deal with the problem of subjectivity and consciousness from the Kantian doctrine developed in the Critique of pure reason (1781, 1787) to Husserl’s Crisis of the European sciences and the transcendental Phenomenology (1936). Both Kant and Husserl connect the concepts of perception, time, pure form a priori of the subjectivity; they connect also philosophy and world of life.
Full programme
Materialism and Spiritualism, body and mind from the end of the seventeenth century to the end of the twentieth century.
The course aims to provide a detailed description and a critical examination both of the concept of materialism and of the concept of spiritualism, which are developed beginning from the thought of the Idéologues (Cabanis, D’Holbach) in the debate on the relations between mind and body. The thought of Kant, Brentano, Husserl is contextualized in this debate.
MODULO A
I. Kant, Critique of Judgement.
MODULO B
F. Brentano, The Psychology from an empirical point of view.
E. Husserl, Cartesian Meditations. IV Meditation.
Note: for the students of the course “Philosophical Studies”: it is required the knowledge of the life, works, general topics of Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Leibniz, Hegel
For students of the course “Philosophical Studies” which will go deep into the syllabus:
A. Guerra, Introduzione a Kant, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1998.
B. Centi, Coscienza, etica e architettonica in Kant. Uno studio attraverso le Critiche, Biblioteca di “Studi Kantiani”, Istituti Editoriali e Poligrafici Internazionali, Pisa-Roma 2002
V. Costa, Husserl, Carocci, Roma 2009
V. Costa, E. Franzini, P. Spinicci, La fenomenologia, Einaudi, Milano 2002.
R. Bernet, E. Mahrbach, I. Kern, Husserl, trad. it. a cura di C. La Rocca, il Mulino, Bologna 1992
D. Gillies, G. Giorello, La filosofia della scienza nel XX secolo, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 1995
S. Nannini, L’anima e il corpo, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2002
For students of other courses:
I. Kant, Critica della capacità di giudizio
A. Guerra, Introduzione a Kant, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1998.
E. Husserl, Meditazioni cartesiane,
V. Costa, Husserl, Carocci, Roma 2009
For students of the course in “Psychology”
I. Kant, Critica della capacità di giudizio
F. Brentano, La psicologia dal punto di vista empirico
R. Smith, Storia della psicologia, a cura di F. Toccafondi, il Mulino 2004
L. Mecacci, Storia della psicologia del Novecento, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2002
For students which don’t attend lessons the syllabus will be unvaried.
Bibliography
Mod. A
I. Kant, Critique of pure reason, 1781, 1787;
Mod. B
E. Husserl, Crisis of European Sciences and the transcendental Phenomenology.
Teaching methods
The first 6 lessons of Unit A are designed to supplement the student’s basic preparation by outlining a line of study for the history of philosophy that explains how the course material will be covered in general for key moments in ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary thought. Bibliographical information and reference texts for the History of Philosophy will be given, as well as basic texts of the History of Philosophy to allow students to create a solid basis of study.
In the classroom, textbooks that have the original text and translations side-by-side will be used; when such texts are not available, original language texts will be used so that students will become familiar with the most important terms and those specific to each author examined. At the end of the course, a list of these terms in their original language accompanied by a translation will be provided.
The course syllabus has been designed to develop the conceptual analysis of the proposed topic with direct reference to the writings of the authors examined, including through readings and discussion. Conceptual analysis is aimed at clarifying the problem, the arguments offered and the conclusion developed by each author, with special attention given his interlocutors and critical debate of which he was part or gave rise to. The historical context in which each author developed his own views is constantly referred to. In addition, works that (although not part of the final exam) are important for understanding the theoretical and historical relevance of the arguments covered, will be presented briefly. These works, such as critical essays, are made available to students who wish to study in more depth the arguments covered in the classroom.
The course, divided into two units, Unit A and Unit B, is worth 10 credits. The two units of the course may also be taken separately. Subject to the permission of the course instructor, Unit B, which is more specialised, may be taken independently of Unit A which is more introductory in nature.
Modifications and supplementary material for students in other courses of study may be agreed upon.
At the end of Unit A, students may sit an exam for the material covered in order to subsequently concentrate on preparing Unit B.
Evaluation is based on ascertaining the student’s ability to comprehend and correctly present the principal topics and arguments covered during the course, the historical questions covered and the ability to grasp dilemmas and problematic aspects in the philosophical positions discussed.
Assessment methods and criteria
Oral and written examination.
