Learning objectives
By the end of the class the student will (in accordance with the Dublin indicators):
1. Read and master the basic vocabulary of anthropological and philosophical reflection on topics such as human personhood, animality and humanity, origin, structure, and diversity of cultures, technology and the transformation of the human being.
2. Apply the concepts learned in class on events and problems characterizing contemporary society.
3. Take a stance lucidly and on the basis of arguments on anthropological issues pertaining to the topics examined in class.
4. Converse and debate on the topics discussed in class making explicit references to the vocabulary and the argumentative strategies of the philosophical tradition.
5. Read and understanding autonomously complex philosophical texts on philosophical anthropology.
Prerequisites
None
Course unit content
Philosophical anthropology emerged as a tradition of thought in early twentieth century Germany. In the wake of a pluralization of disciplinary perspectives on the human being and parallel to the demise of religious and secular certainties, philosophical anthropology aimed at a renewal of fundamental questions about the human being with the aid of both scientific discoveries and specifically philosophical methods, such as phenomenology. The class will introduce students to the key figures and questions of philosophical anthropology with particular attention to the image of the human being delivered by the natural sciences and its limits, the difference and continuity between human and non-human animals, interpersonal relations in both its natural and cultural dimensions, the advent of technology and its impact on the transformation of the human being.
Full programme
PERSON AND CHARACTER IN PHENOMENOLOGY
The study of personal being, in its continuity and difference vis-à-vis natural being, constitutes a fundamental theme of phenomenological reflection from the beginning. The person emerges as something more specific than an experiencing subject in general. Personal character is a decisive aspect for an understanding of the essence of the human person. The class sets out to explore the development of this theme in the philosophy of Husserl, Stein, Scheler, and Pfànder.
Bibliography
1. Edmund Husserl, Idee per una fenomenologia pura e una filosofia fenomenologica - Libro secondo: ricerche sopra la costituzione SELEZIONE (Einaudi: Torino 2002)
2. Max Scheler, Ordo Amoris (Morcelliana: Brescia 2023)
3. Edith Stein, La struttura della persona umana Corso di antropologia filosofica (OCD: Roma 2023)
4. Alexander Pfänder, I problemi fondamentali della caratterologia (PdF)
SUGGESTED READINGS FOR STUDENTS WHO CANNOT ATTEND
1. Sofia Vanni Rovighi, Uomo e natura: appunti per una antropologia filosofica (Vita e Pensiero: Milano 1996)
Teaching methods
The class will include (1) frontal lectures devoted to the reading and interpretation of key texts; (2) discussion sessions focusing on current problems and concrete cases; (3) seminars featuring invited international scholars specializing on the topics under scrutiny.
Assessment methods and criteria
Oral examination aiming to verify knowledge of philosophical anthropology acquired through class attendance, the study of texts and bibliography, the ability to contextualize them in historical and philosophical tradition; the level of critical assimilation of conceptual contents; the property and the adequacy of linguistic expression; skills in autonomous argumentation.
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
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2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
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