Learning objectives
This course will reinforce the students' skills for critical, informed and independent judgment, and their skills for communication and continuing education. In particular, after this course, students will develop the following abilities of acquiring knowledge and understanding (Dublin Descriptor I): students will be made able to know the philosophical, theological, and scientific thought of the Middle Ages; to read and understand the classical texts of medieval philosophy; to acquire the terminology of medieval philosophy and of the different philosophical methods required for the discussion of topics and the interpretation of medieval texts; to be acquainted with and assess the historiography of medieval philosophy. After this course, students will also develop the following abilities to apply the acquired knowledge and understanding (Dublin Descriptor II): students will be made able to compose clear, documented and argument-based papers; to apply knowledge in interdisciplinary fields; to reconstruct and follow the genesis and development of a concept, a doctrine and/or a philosophical debate; to explain the connection of ideas between the history of medieval
philosophy and other areas of science and philosophy, in particular ancient, late-antique and early-modern philosophy as well as theology;
to reconstruct and assess a cultural and/or inter-cultural context, with particular attention to the interplay of the different positions that are involved. Finally, after this course, students will develop the following communication and learning skills and abilities of making independent
judgments (Dublin Descriptors III - IV - V): students will be made able to critically evaluate a philosophical text, both from a historical and a
philosophical, philological and/or textual point of view; to assess the arguments used in a philosophical debate and/or text in order to decide a claim, to resolve a problem and/or to defend a thesis; to criticize a philosophical position, an argument and/or a topic, by correctly setting it in its proper historical and/or textual context; to assess concepts as to their developments and their relations, also with regard to other disciplinary areas; to know how reconstructing and following, historically as well as philosophically, the genesis of a concept, a problem and/or a philosophical debate; to communicate the acquired knowledge and abilities of analysis and judgment in a clear, documented, complete and logically consequential and well-organized way, both orally and through written papers; to evaluate accurately and to reconstruct completely their learning process and the skills, abilities and knowledge they have acquired.
Prerequisites
The course is open to all students, but since it is an advanced course, it may be helpful to have already acquired some skills and knowledge in medieval studies. Although the course makes available texts in Italian translation, the knowledge of Latin and a good knowledge of the history of philosophy in general and of that ancient and medieval in particular is recommended. It is also recommended the knowledge of English for reading texts of secondary literature in English and English translations of Latin texts.
Course unit content
Title: “To the Point of Origin of the Modern Theories of the Intentionality of Mind: Thomas Aquinas and Hervé de Nédéllec.”
The course propose a backward journey from the modern theories of the intentionality of mind to medieval treatments, in search of their historical origin. Starting from a reference to Scholastics made by Franz Brentano in his “Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint” (1874), the course aims to explore the theories of the intentionality of mind elaborated by two significant medieval authors, Thomas Aquinas and Hervé de Nédéllec (XIV century), a Dominican philosopher and theologian, disciple of Thomas Aquinas, and author of the first extensive medieval treatise on intentionality (“Tractatus de secundis intentionibus”, 1316 ca.). Reconstructing their positions will allow us to assess whether Brentano really had knowledge of medieval theories.
Full programme
In the “Psychology from an Empirical StandPoint” (1874), Franz Brentano states that “Every mental phenomenon is characterized by what the Scholastics of the Middle Ages called the intentional (or mental) in-existence of an object, and what we might call, though not wholly unambiguously, reference to a content, direction toward an object (which is not to be understood here as meaning a thing), or immanent objectivity.” The reference to the Scholastics gives us the opportunity to embark on a backward journey in search of the possible medieval sources of the Brentanian doctrine of intentionality. We will thus arrive at two philosophers who may have influenced the author who initiated modern phenomenology, namely, Thomas Aquinas (1224/1225-1274) and Hervé de Nédellec (ca.1260-1323). We will reconstruct their doctrine of intentionality and their philosophy of mind in order to assess whether Brentano may have really had knowledge of their theories.
Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The texts by Thomas Aquinas and Hervé de Nédéllec that will be examined during the lessons will be distributed in class and uploaded to ELLY, on the page of the course.
There is no Italian translation of Hervé de Nédéllec's treatise on intentionality, but it is available the following English translation (including the Latin text):
- “A Treatise of Master Hervaeus Natalis (d.1323) The Doctor Perspicacissimus On Second Intentions,” ed. P. J. Doyle, Milwaukee, Marquette University Press, 2008.
To be introduced to the medieval discussions of intentionality, are recommended the following texts:
- F. Bottin, "Filosofia medievale della mente", Il Poligrafo, Padova, 2005.
- F. Amerini, "Tommaso d'Aquino e l'intenzionalità", ETS, Pisa 2013.
- L. M. de Rijk, “A Study on the Medieval Intentionality Debate up to ca. 1350,” in L. M. de Rijk (ed.), "Giraldus Odonis O. F. M. Opera Philosophica", vol. 2, Brill, Leiden 2005, pp. 19–372.
- D. Perler, "Théories de l'intentionnalité au Moyen Age", Vrin, Paris 2003 (especially Chapter One).
For those who would like to deepen into the relationship between medieval doctrines and Brentano's account of intentionality, is recommended the following text:
- H. Taieb, “Relational Intentionality: Brentano and the Aristotelian Tradition,” Springer, Cham 2019.
Other didactic material will be indicated during the lessons.
Teaching methods
Oral lessons. During the lessons the topics that will be discussed are those of the general contents of the course. Lessons can be
supplemented by seminars devoted to the reading and discussion of medieval texts, to which students are invited to attend actively.
Seminars may be in Italian or English, and developed in collaboration with external experts.
Lessons will be in presence but will be video-recorded. Links for the videos will be made available on the ELLY platform, at the course webpage.
Assessment methods and criteria
Students' knowledge and understanding skills, and their abilities to apply them, will be verified through a final oral examination.
Average duration of the examination is about 30 min. The types of questions are determined by the features of students’ education and learning that need to be verified.
In particular, the oral examination aims to verify: 1) the degree of students’ historical and philosophical formation and preparation, both with respect to the primary sources and the secondary literature; 2) students’ ability to assess and compare texts, interpretations of texts, an historiographical theses; 3) the ability to understand, analyze, and contextualize philosophical texts.
If students wish, the final examination may be replaced with the discussion of a written paper on the texts indicated in the bibliography. In that case, students must send by email the paper to the teacher a few days before the date chosen for the examination. The examination will consist of the presentation of the written paper by the student and of its discussion. The manner and contents of the paper must be agreed upon with the teacher.
The final score (on scale 0-30) is the result of the written paper and the oral examination. The oral examination will be evaluated according to three criteria: 1) speech clearness and accuracy; 2) critical thinking and independent judgment; 3) ability to analyze and contextualize a philosophical text and/or a problem.
The examination is passed if the minimum grade of 18/30 is reached.The final score will be awarded according to the following scale:
30 cum laude: outstanding; solid preparation and extensive knowledge of medieval philosophy, excellent expressive skills, capacity of comprehension and analysis of texts, concepts, topics and/or arguments of medieval philosophy complete and exhaustive;
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 structured expression;
24-26: good; good but not complete knowledge, satisfactory analysis skills and not always correct expression; 21-23: discrete; discrete
knowledge although superficial, sometimes unsatisfactory analysis skills and inappropriate ability to express;
18-20: sufficient; acceptable but very superficial knowledge, unsatisfactory analysis skills, often inappropriate expression;
0-17: insufficient; the preparation shows important gaps in terms of knowledge of the content, lack of clarity in exposition, inability to understand and analyze texts, concepts, topics and/or arguments of medieval philosophy.
Other information
Two or three dates are scheduled for every session of exams, as indicated in the official calendar.
The final examination is oral. If the student wishes, however, the oral examination may be replaced with the discussion of a written paper. In that case, the student must send by email a written paper to the teacher a few days before the date chosen for the examination. The examination will consist of the presentation of the written paper by the student and of its discussion. The manner and contents of the paper must be agreed upon with the teacher.
