Learning objectives
The course aims to consolidate and deepen:
1: the following abilities of acquiring knowledge and understanding (Dublin descriptor I):
(a) in-depth knowledge of relevant authors and themes in the history of logical and philosophical thought of the ancient and medieval ages;
(b) ability to read, analyze and critically interpret some classical texts of the history of logic, both in the original language (Latin) and in the translation into modern languages;
(c) knowledge of the logical and philosophical technical terminology necessary for the interpretation of the texts;
(d) knowledge of the main interpretative positions in the contemporary debate, and knowledge of some contemporary debates in the fields of the philosophy of logic that may be relevant for the interpretation of ancient and medieval authors.
2: the following abilities to apply the acquired knowledge and understanding
(Dublin descriptor II):
(a) ability to recognize the structure and to reformulate different types of arguments of logical and philosophical nature, ability to criticize such arguments and to argue one's own philosophical position in a debate;
(b) ability to elaborate one's knowledge through oral and written reports and tests, through philosophical argumentation and based on the historically documented reference to ancient and medieval texts, in their original version (primary literature) and in their different modern interpretations (secondary literature);
(c) ability to recognize the theoretical and conceptual connections between the history of ancient and medieval logic and some debates in the philosophy of contemporary logic.
3-4-5: the following communication and learning skills and abilities of making independent judgments (Dublin descriptor III-IV-V):
(a) ability to analyze and criticize a logical and/or philosophical text, both from a historical and a philosophical point of view;
(b) ability to entertain a critical attitude towards the text and report one's own analysis in oral and written form, through debates and through written reports;
(c) ability to interact on a philosophical level with teachers and colleagues, in Italian and English, through the guided reading of the texts, through questions and debates during class hours and through written reports.
Prerequisites
The course is indicated for students who already have basic skills and knowledge in the field of
logic and history of ancient and medieval philosophy. An elementary knowledge of Latin and a good knowledge of English are also recommended.
Students who feel that they do not have sufficient knowledge of English can agree on an alternative program (similar to the non-attending students program) with the teacher.
Course unit content
Title: "Thinking, imagining and reasoning with the impossible. Brief history of the concept of impossible from Aristotle to Galileo Galilei "
The course aims to present the logical and philosophical discussion on the nature of impossibility, and the different ways in which this concept has been modeled in ancient and medieval logic, up to the beginning of the modern era. The main topics will be:
(1) the historical origin and the philosophical use of arguments "per absurdum", through which a thesis is argued for by demonstrating the impossibility of its denial;
(2) the medieval discussion of conditional propositions having an impossible antecedent, and the history of the logical principle according to which "everything follows from the impossible" (ex impossibile sequitur quodlibet);
(3) the medieval and early modern use of thought experiments that move from scenarios in which some metaphysical or natural impossibility is involved, and the related problems about the reasoning rules that are applicable in drawing inferences from such impossibilities.
The course will be held in collaboration with the University of Toronto and with the course "Themes in Medieval Philosophy" held by Peter King at this university. Some lessons (Mondays) will be shared between the two courses and will take place in English and online. The other lessons (on Tuesdays and Thursdays) will instead be held in Italian and in person, if the pandemic situation will allow it.
Full programme
The concepts of impossible and impossibility are among the most difficult to define, and also among the most debated not only in the philosophy of contemporary logic, but also in the history of ancient and medieval logic. During the course we will focus on three moments in the history of ancient and medieval logic in which the concept of impossible has acquired a central role.
The first theme that we will address is that of "per absurdum" demonstrations, that is, demonstrations that aim to support a certain conclusion by demonstrating the impossibility of its negation. We will focus on the way in which the structure and "strength" of arguments of this type are discussed by Aristotle in the Analytics and Topics, and on the influence that Aristotle had on some medieval authors.
The second theme that will be addressed is the medieval discussion, beginning in the twelfth century with Abelard and continuing in the following two centuries, on conditional statements with impossible antecedents, and on what truth-conditions can be established for conditionals of this sort. This theme will be discussed in relation to the historical origins of the logical principle according to which "everything follows from the impossible" (ex impossibili sequitur quodlibet, known in contemporary logic as the principle of “explosion”) and also in relation to some debates of contemporary philosophy on counterfactual and counter-possible propositions.
A third theme that will be presented is the use of thought experiments with impossible scenarios in natural philosophy during the 13th and 14th century, and the medieval discussion of the type of logical inferences that are admissible in scenarios of this type, in which the imagination of impossible entities or impossible situations is involved. We will see that the medieval use of thought experiments with impossible scenarios is strongly rooted in (and justified by) certain logical theories according to which it is possible to reason sensibly starting from impossible premises. We will also see how this medieval practice of reasoning from impossible scenarios is partly adopted and partly strongly criticized in some works by Galileo Galilei.
Bibliography
During the course several parts from the texts listed above (among others) will be discussed. All texts that will be used will be made known to the students during the first week of lessons:
Aristotele, Analitici Primi, in Aristotele, Organon, a cura di Maurizio Migliori, Bompiani 2016.
Aristotele, Analitici Secondi, Organon, a cura di Maurizio Migliori, Bompiani 2016.
Boezio, De Syllogismis Hypotheticis, testo, traduzione, introduzione e commento di Luca Obertello, Paideia 1969.
Pietro Abelardo, Dialectica, a cura di L.M. De Rijk, van Gorcum 1970 (la traduzione di alcuni passi sarà a cura della docente)
William of Ockham, Summa Logicae, a cura di Philotheus Boehner, St. Bonaventure university-Nauwelaerts-Schöningh, St. Bonaventure, N. Y.-Louvain-Paderborn, 1957-1962 (la traduzione di alcuni passi sarà a cura della docente).
Galileo Galilei, Discorso sopra i due massimi sistemi, a cura di Beltràn Marì, BUR 2014.
The teacher will be responsible for providing students with a digital copy (in the original version and in translation) of the parts of the text discussed during the lessons.
Any teaching material used or distributed during the lessons will be uploaded on the ELLY platform, under the heading of the course.
Non-attending students are invited to contact the teacher to agree on a program and an alternative bibliography (either in English or Italian).
Teaching methods
The course will be held in collaboration with the University of Toronto and with the "Themes in Medieval Philosophy" course held by Peter King at this university. Some lectures (those taking place on Mondays) will be shared between the two courses and will take place in English and online. The other lessons (on Tuesdays and Thursdays) will instead be held in Italian and in person, if the pandemic situation will allow it.
Assessment methods and criteria
The knowledge and the ability to understand and apply the acquired knowledge will be verified through a written exam and throug a final oral exam.
The written exam will consist in about 6 open questions, which will focus on the different topics addressed in the course, among which students will have to answer to at least 3. The duration of the written exam will be of about 3 hours. If the pandemic situation will not allow the written exam to be carried out in presence, a different method of verification will be agreed together with the students.
The oral exam, which will last about 30 minutes, will consist of a discussion and possible deepening of the answers given in the written exam.
Atudents will have the opportunity to choose whether to take the written and oral exam in Italian or English.
The written and oral exams aim to verify: 1) historical and philosophical knowledge, both as regards to primary sources and secondary literature; 2) the student's ability to evaluate and compare, interpret and criticize texts; 3) the ability to understand, contextualize and analyze a philosophical text.
Other information
Some lessons of the course will be held in English, but students can ask questions and contribute to the discussion in Italian.
Students who feel that they do not have sufficient knowledge of English can agree on an alternative program - similar to the non-attending students program - with the teacher.
There are two or three sessions per exam session, as will be specified in the calendar.
