Learning objectives
The course will provide students with tools for critical, informed and independent judgment, and will reinforce their skills for communication and continued learning. In particular, through this course students will develop the following abilities of acquiring knowledge and understanding (Dublin Descriptor I): they will be acquainted with philosophical, theological, and political thought in the Islamic and Jewish Middle Ages; they will be able to read and understand the classical texts of these areas of study, know their specific terminology and the different philosophical methods required for the discussion of topics and the interpretation of texts; they will be acquainted with the historiography concerning these cultural areas. Through this course students also will develop the following abilities to apply the acquired knowledge and understanding (Dublin Descriptor II): they will be able to apply argumentative and conceptual tools, borrowed from ancient and medieval philosophy, in interdisciplinary fields, to solve philosophical as well as non-philosophical problems; they will be able to reconstruct the genesis and development of a concept, a doctrine and/or a philosophical debate; they will be able to reconstruct the cultural contexts, with particular attention to the interplay of the different positions that are involved; they will be able to identify the connection of ideas between the history of philosophy and other areas of science and philosophy. Finally, through this course students will reinforce their communication and learning skills and abilities of making independent judgments (Dublin Descriptors III - IV - V). Specifically, they will be able to analyze in an independent way a philosophical text, both from a historical and a philosophical point of view; they will be able to assess, historically as well as philosophically, the arguments used in a philosophical debate in order to decide a sentence, resolve a problem and/or defend a thesis; they will be able to criticize a philosophical position and/or a topic; they will be able to examine concepts as to their evolution and their relations, also with respect to other disciplinary areas; they will be able to follow, historically as well as philosophically, the genesis of a concept, a problem and/or a philosophical debate; they will be able to communicate the acquired knowledge and ablities of analysis and judgment in a clear, documented, complete and logically consequential and well-organized way, both orally and through written papers; they will be able to evaluate and reconstruct their learning process and the skills, abilities and knowledge they have acquired.
Prerequisites
No specific prerequisites. The course is intended for those who lack specific skills and knowledge in the fields of Semitic studies. Only a general acquaintance with the history of philosophy and a basic knowledge of the philosophical vocabulary is recommended. During the first few lectures of the course, however, all knowledge useful and necessary for learning the matter of the course will be given.
Course unit content
Title of the course: Philosophy and Revelation in Medieval Islamic and Jewish Thought. Prophecy as metaphysical, gnoseological and political issue.
Since both of them deal with truth, philosophy and revelation can find themselves to stand in mutual contrast in the context of monotheistic societies. The course deals with the possible relations between philosophical and theological discourse during the Islamic and Jewish Middle Ages. Within this historical framework prophecy may be viewed as a meeting point both for philosophy and revelation. The focus will be on the philosophical-political interpretations of prophecy, which have been given by some major thinker of the period (al-Farabi, Averroes, Maimonides and his Jewish followers). For all that, we shall critically review Strauss’ interpretation as well.
Full programme
The course is an introduction to Islamic and Jewish philosophy of the Middle Ages from the following points of view: the status of the philosophical discourse vis-à-vis Revelation during the Islamic and Jewish Middle Ages and the interpretations of prohecy given by such major philosophers as al-Farabi, Maimonide and Averroes. Prophecy has been viewed as a multilayered issue, i.e. with political, gnoseological and metaphysical dimensions. While dealing with the orginal texts, we shall critically review Strauss’ interpretation.
Bibliography
Recommended basic books:
1) AVERROÈ, Il trattato decisivo, a cura di M. Campanini, BUR, Milano 1994.
2) S. HARVEY, L’Opuscolo della contesa di Falaquera, il melangolo, Genova 2005.
3) Selected texts from AL-FARABI,Le opinioni degli abitanti della città virtuosa and from MAIMONIDE, Mishneh torah and La guida dei perplessi (the texts will be given during the class).
4) S. PINES, La filosofia ebraica, Morcelliana, Brescia 2008 (only the sections concerning the philosophers dealt with in the class)
MATERIALS TO DEEPEN:
1) L. STRAUSS, Filosofia e Legge, trad. it. a cura di C. Altini, Giuntina, Firenze 2003.
2) M. BENEDETTO, Oltre la Legge, Edizioni di Pagina, Bari 2023 (sections devoted to prophecy).
3) C. FRAENKEL, Philosophical Religions from Plato to Spinoza. Reason, Religion and Autonomy, Cambridge U. P. 2012.
4) R. GATTI, Torah e filosofia: il tema della profezia nel pensiero di Maimonide e Gersonide in Profezia, filosofia e prassi politica, a cura di G. Garfagnini, A. Rodolfi, Edizioni ETS, Pisa 2013, pp. 49-64.
Teaching methods
Oral lessons. During the classes the topics to be discussed are those of the general contents of the course; they can be implemented by other didactic materials, in addition to those indicated in bibliography, materials that will be however made available on the ELLY platform. Oral lessons can be complemented with seminars reserved to the reading of texts and/or discussion of ancient and medieval texts and topics, also in collaboration with external colleagues.
Lessons will be in presence and will be video recorded. The links for the videos will be uploaded on the ELLY platform.
Assessment methods and criteria
Students' knowledge and understanding and learning skills, and their abilities to apply them, will be checked during an oral examination based upon the texts found in the bibliography and with the reading and analysis of a philosophical text. The final exam aims to verify the degree of preparation, knowledge and understanding skills reached by the students. Average duration of the exam is about 30 min. In particular, the oral exam aims to verify: 1) students' degree of historical, philosophical and historiographic knowledge; 2) students' ability to follow the development of a concept or a doctrine in the same field and/or in related and interdisciplinary fields, and to reconstruct a cultural context, with particular attention to the interplay of the different positions therein involved; 3) students' acquaintance with the philosophical vocabulary and, specifically, with the terminology and concepts proper to the ancient and medieval philosophy;4) students' ability to contextualize and analyze a philosophical text. The final score (on scale 0-30) is the result of the final exam and will be determinated by five criteria: 1) speech clarity and accuracy; 2) argumentative skills; 3) ability to explain a concept or a doctrine, historically and philosophically, and to make historical and philosophical connections; 4) ability to read, understand and analyze a philosophical text; 5) extent and degree of the historical and philosophical preparation, reached on the basis of the texts indicated in bibliography.The exam is passed if the minimum grade of 18/30 is reached. The final mark will be awarded according to the following table:30 and praise: excellent; extremely solid preparation and extensive knowledge of ancient and medieval philosophy, excellent expressive skills, complete and exhaustice ability of comprehension and analysis of concepts, topics and/or arguments of ancient and medieval philosophy; 30: excellent; complete and adequate knowledge, excellent analysis skills, correct and well articulated expression; 27-29: very good; more than satisfactory knowledge, adequate analysis skills and essentially correct and articulate expression; 24-26: good; good but not complete knowledge, satisfactory analysis skills and not always correct expression;21-23: discrete; discrete albeit superficial knowledge, occasionally unsatisfactory analysis skills and inappropriate expression; 18-20: sufficient; acceptable but very superficial knowledge, unsatisfactory analysis skills, often inappropriate expression;
0-17: insufficient; the preparation has important gaps in terms of content, lack of clarity in exposition, inability to understand and analyze concepts, topics and/or arguments of ancient and medieval philosophy.
Other information
There will be two or three exams per session, in accordance to the public calendar.
