Learning objectives
Purpose
The course intends to provide students an hermeneutical reflection about the different meanings assumed by the concept of "Subject" through the History of Philosophy. A develop comprehension about the concept of the understanding historicity, a plot between the "tradition" and the "innovation" and a concept of the reason able to unite the "objectivity" and "historicity" of the human knowledge will be proposed.
Knowledge and understanding: knowledge and understanding of an essential problem of History of Philosophy by hermeneutical reflection able to explain his different meanings through the different historical and philosophical backgrounds;use of appropriate terminology and modes of expression of the discipline in oral and written form in one's own language.
Applying and understanding: capability to address a philosophical problem, retrieving the appropriate sources and bibliography, and to expose and discuss the results in a clear and precise language.
Making judgments: awareness of the standards and the mind-set required for scientific inquiry and publication, including critical awareness and intellectual honesty.
Communications skills: ability to write, speak, and listen according to various registers in one's own language, presenting complex problems to specialists and non-specialists.
Learning skills: demonstrate a systematic comprehension and understanding of a substantial body of knowledge which is at the forefront of an academic discipline or an area of professional practice.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of contemporary Hermeneutics issues.
Course unit content
On some interpretations of the concept of the "Subject" in the different times of the History of the Philosophy.
The course intends to offer to the students a perspective interpretation of the concept of the "Subject": we will start from the context of the Modern Philosophy (Descartes); we will consider the difficulties made against the concepts of the "Substance" and the "Ego" in 17th century and 18th century by the empirical English tradition (Locke, Hume) and the middle of 20th century (Ryle). At last, we will consider the lectures offered by Kant and, in 20th century, by phenomenological-hermeneutical tradition (Husserl, Heidegger, Ricoeur), withouth forgetting the interpretation of the category of the "Subject" suggested by the linguistic-structuralist turn in 20th century (Benveniste).
Bibliography
The bibliography is just as an indication. The texts will be chosen during the course.
René Descartes, Meditazioni Metafisiche, I-III, Bari, Laterza 2010.
John Locke, Saggio sull'intelletto umano, l. II, cap. XXIII, Delle nostre idee complesse delle sostanze, §§ 1-6; 9; 12-18; 22; 29-37, Bari, Laterza, 2007.
David Hume, Trattato sulla natura umana, l. I, Parte IV, sez. 6, in Opere filosofiche, Bari, Laterza 2006.
Kant, Critica della Ragion Pura, Parte 2, Logica trascendentale, §§ 15-18, tr. it. con testo tedesco a fronte a cura di C. Esposito, Milano, Bompiani 2012.
Gilbert Ryle, Lo spirito come comportamento, Bari, Laterza 1982.
Edmund Husserl, Idee direttrici per una fenomenologia pura e per una filosofia fenomenologica, Vol. I, Sez. II, cap. I, §§ 30-32; cap. II, §§ 33-35, 39, 42-46; cap. III, §§ 49-50, 54-55, a cura di V. Costa, Torino, Einaudi 2002.
Martin Heidegger, Essere e tempo, Parte I, cap. IV (in una delle edizioni italiane disponibili).
Paul Ricoeur, Sé come un altro, Prefazione, tr. it. a cura di D. Jannotta, Milano, Jaca Book 1993.
Emile Benveniste, Problemi di linguistica generale, Parte V, capp. XX e XXI, Milano, Il Saggiatore 1994.
Teaching methods
Learning and teaching approaches: oral lessons, lectures on the texts, oral accounts of the texts analysed.
Assessment methods and criteria
Assessment methods: the student presents a term paper of around 15 pages on a subject of the programme.
Methods of evaluation: three accomplishment to get a positive grade: understanding the philosophical texts; ability to present theirs essential arguments; written in clear and precise language. The final grade will be determined by calculating the average of the grade in the exam of theoretical philosophy.
