Learning objectives
Knowledge of main tendencies in the history of philosophy from the modern age to the end of the 20th century. Knowledge and understanding of a number of philosophical texts which are read in the classroom (descriptor 1).
Knowledge of at least some terms of the Greek and German philosophical lexicon. Knowledge of main tendencies in the philosophical historiography of philosophy from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
Knowledge of the primary arguments of the History of Philosophy from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
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 and cultural contexts (descriptor 2 and 3). Students are asked to demonstrate their skills in argumentation, in interdisciplinary connections and in clear communication by means of compiling essays on the subjects studied (descriptor 3 and 4). It also represents a useful exercise for students, requiring them to apply autonomous their knowledge to a variety of themes chosen (descriptor 5).
Prerequisites
To get knowledge of the themes of the history of philosophy which are treated in the first year of the course. To be qualified to comprehend the main concepts and arguments contained in a philosophical text.
Course unit content
Moral action and the construction of the idea of a person in the modern philosophy and in the philosophy of the twentieth century.
The course aims at illustrating and discussing the relation between action and motivation in the modern and contemporary philosophy by the means of reading parts of works of I. Kant, K. Jaspers, C. Korsgaard. The course aims to develop main concepts of the history of philosophy from Kant’s thought to the philosophy of the twentieth century such as action, end, motive, mind and reason.
Full programme
Moral action and the construction of the idea of being a person in the modern philosophy and in the philosophy of the twentieth century.
The course aims at illustrating and discussing the relation between moral agency and different concepts of personality in the modern and contemporary philosophy by the means of reading parts of works of I. Kant, C.M. Korsgaard and K. Jaspers. The course aims to develop main concepts of the history of philosophy from Kant’s thought and to the philosophy of the twentieth century such as ethics, morality, motive of an action, end and reason.
I. Kant, Fondazione della metafisica dei costumi, 1785., trad. it. di F. Gonnelli, Laterza, Roma-Bari
I. Kant, La Metafisica dei costumi, 1797, Laterza, Roma Bari
John Rawls, Una teoria della giustizia, 1971, Feltrinelli, Milano
Ch. M. Korsgaard, Le origini della normatività, 1996, ETS, Pisa 2014
Non-attending students should look these works up:
A. Guerra, Introduzione a Kant;
N. Abbagnano-G. Fornero, Protagonisti e Testi della Filosofia, Paravia, Torino 2000 e ristampe;
J. Hospers, Introduzione all’analisi filosofica, Milano, Mondadori 2003.
Bibliography
I. Kant, Fondazione della metafisica dei costumi, 1785
I. Kant, La Metafisica dei costumi, 1797
J. Rawls, Una teoria della giustizia, 1971
Ch. M. Korsgaard, Le origini della normatività, 1996
Teaching methods
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.
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.
In addition, within each subject, students are asked to demonstrate their skills in understanding and argumentation by means of compiling essays on the subjects studied.
The course is worth 12 credits.
Modifications and supplementary material for students in other courses of study may be agreed upon.
Assessment methods and criteria
The oral examination tends to verify historical and philosophical knowledge acquired through the class attendance, the study of the texts and bibliography, contextualising them in historical and philosophical tradition (descriptors 1 and 2); the level of critical assimilation of conceptual contents; the property and the adequacy of linguistic expression; skill in autonomous argumentation (descriptors 3, 4, 5).
At the end of the course, students have the basic conceptual and methodological tools to understand and discuss a philosophical text.
Assessment criteria and assessment thresholds:
30 cum laude: Excellent, excellent solidity of knowledge, excellent expressive properties, excellent understanding of the concepts
30: Very good. Complete and adequate knowledge, well-articulated and correctly expressed
27-29: Good, satisfactory knowledge, essentially correct expression.
24-26: Fairly good knowledge, but not complete and not always correct.
22-23: Generally sufficient knowledge but superficial. Expression is often not appropriate and confused.
18-21: Sufficient. The expression and articulation of the speech show important gaps.
<18: insufficient knowledge or very incomplete, lack of guidance in discipline, expression seriously deficient. Exam failed.
Other information
In order to know life, works and the historical context of Kant and Jaspers, the following texts are recommended:
A. Guerra, Introduzione a Kant, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1998
G. Cantillo, Introduzione a Jaspers, Laterza, Roma Bari, 2006.
For non-attending students:
Storia della filosofia, a cura di N. Abbagnano e G. Fornero, UTET; Storia della filosofia, a cura di P. Rossi e C.A. Viano, Laterza.
