Learning objectives
By the end of the class, students will: I. Know the major issues on the concepts of life, experience, and world in early twentieth-century German philosophy; II. Write papers that incorporate the acquired theoretical, historical and methodological knowledge; III. Demonstrate independent, critical engagement with the course material; IV. Discuss theoretical and methodological issues related to the course content. V. Read and understand autonomously current research topics related to course themes.
Prerequisites
No specific prerequisites required
Course unit content
Life, World, and Experience.
The German philosophical debate was mainly formed by so called “Kulturkritik” between the last decades of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth. The gap between scientific picture of reality and immediate experience revived many topics rooted in Romantic culture and key aspects of the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Against this background, concepts like life, experience, and world were coming under particular discussion. The course will show that the breach of the relationship between life and thought didn't produce only irrationalistic solutions, but also a way to consider the world of experience new and still relevant today. The course will focus on three major authors in this key: M. Scheler, L. Klages, M. Heidegger.
Full programme
The first unit will consist of frontal lessons in which the debate on life, experience, and world in early twentieth-century German philosophy will be presented. A selection of works by Max Scheler, Ludwig Klages e Martin Heidegge will be read and commented. The selection of works will be examined also in the light of the contemporary debate. The second unit will consist of seminar activities in which students will present and discuss a relevant text to the course topics.
Bibliography
A. (Primary sources):
1. M. Scheler (1913/1923), Wesen und Formen der Sympathie, trad. it. a cura di L. Boella, Essenza e forme della simpatia, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2010, pp. 41-67, 101-118, 225-246; 2. M. Scheler (1913/1916/1927), Der Formalismus in der Ethik und die materiale Wertethik, trad. it. di R. Guccinelli, Il formalismo nell’etica e l’etica materiale dei valori. Nuovo tentativo di fondazione di un personalismo etico, Presentazione di R. De Monticelli, Milano, Bompiani, 2013, pp. 287-321, 503-521; 3. M. Scheler (1928), Die Stellung des Menschen im Kosmos, trad. it. a cura di G. Cusinato, La posizione dell'uomo nel cosmo, Milano, Franco Angeli, pp. 92-133; 159-169; 172-175; 4. L. Klages (1922), Vom Kosmogonischen Eros, München, Müller, trad. it. Dell Eros cosmogonico, Milano, PGreco, 2012, pp. 115-163; 5. L. Klages (1913/1923), Die Ausdrucksbewegung und ihre diagnostische Verwertung, trad. it. di D. Di Maio, Espressione e creatività, Milano, Marinotti, 2015, pp. 21-48, 105-114; 6. M. Heidegger, Essere e Tempo. Milano, Longanesi, 2005, §14, §15, §21, §29, §30, §31, §32, §33, §43, §43a, §43b.
B. (Secondary literature):
L. Boella, Rileggere il Sympathienbuch, Introduzione a M. Scheler Essenza e forme della simpatia, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2010, pp. 7-28; 2. R. Pozzo (2006), Lo spirito contro l’anima: I filosofi nazisti contro Ludwig Klages con una nota su Robert Musil, in La memoria del male: Percorsi tra gli stermini del Novecento e il loro ricordo, P. Bernardini, D. Lucci e G. Luzzatto, Padova, Cleup, pp. 147-171, ristampato in R. Bulzariello, Scritti su Klages, Milano, Mimesis, 2009, pp. 211-41; 3. C. Esposito, Il periodo di Marburgo (1923-28) ed «Essere e Tempo»: dalla fenomenologia all’ontologia fondamentale, in F. Volpi (a cura di), Guida a Heidegger, Bari, Laterza, pp. 113-166.
Teaching methods
Frontal lessons and seminars
Assessment methods and criteria
The evaluation will be based on a written paper (40% of the final grade) and a oral exam on the texts listed in the course bibliography (60% of the final grade).
