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 aimed at those who already have some skills and
knowledge in logic and the history of ancient and medieval philosophy.
Knowledge of Latin, at least elementary, and a good knowledge of English
are also recommended, since part of the bibliography required for the
exam will be in this language.
Students who believe they do not have sufficient knowledge of English to
deal with the bibliography, can agree on an alternative program (similar
to the program of non-attending students) with the Professor.
Course unit content
Title: "Theories of possibility and necessity in ancient and medieval logic"
The course aims to present some logical and philosophical theories of
possibility and necessity elaborated in the ancient and medieval period,
following a path that starts from Aristotle and the megaric-stoic tradition,
and continues with the early medieval works by Anselm of Canterbury
and Peter Abelard, finally ending with the theories advanced in the XIIIXIV
centuries by William of Sherwood, William of Ockham and John
Buridan. The study of ancient and medieval theories of possibility and
necessity will be accompanied by a parallel reflection on contemporary
theories in modal logic and in the metaphysics of modality.
Full programme
Title: "Theories of possibility and necessity in ancient and medieval logic"
The "modal" concepts of possibility and necessity are among the most
difficult to define,, both for contemporary logicians and for ancient and
medieval ones. During the course we will focus on three specific
moments in the history of ancient and medieval logic in which these two
modal concepts have acquired a central role.
The first theme that we will address is the relationship between modality
and time, and the so-called "statistical" model of necessity and possibility
that some contemporary authors have used for the interpretation of the
texts of Aristotle and of some logicians of the megaric-Stoic school, and
that it also emerges in the logical works of some medieval authors.
In a second step, we will deal with the relationship between the notion of
possibility and the concepts of potentiality, powers or dispositions of
things. Like many contemporary authors (e.g. Mumford, Vetter and the
current of dispositionalism), several medieval authors followed Aristotle
and Boethius in considering powers and potentialities as the ontological
foundation of possibilities. Already in the eleventh and twelfth centuries,
however, authors such as Anselm, Abelard and others questioned this
interpretative model of the modalities, and proposed an alternative
modal paradigm.
In the third part of the course, we will study how the concept of absolute
possibility or "logic" developed over the course of the 13th and 14th
centuries, particularly in the works of Scotus, Ockham and Buridan.
Bibliography
During the course, extracts from the following ancient and medieval
sources will be discussed. The teacher will be responsible for providing
students with a digital copy (in the original version and in the modern
language translation) of the parts of the text discussed during the course:
Aristotle, Prior Analytics, in Aristotle, Organon, edited by Maurizio Miglior,
Bompiani 2016.
Boethius, De Syllogismis Hypotheticis, text, translation, introduction and
commentary by Luca Obertello, Paideia 1969.
Anselmo d’Aosta, De Potentia et Impotentia, in Opera omnia, 6 vols., Ed.
F. S. Schmitt, Edinburgh: Nelson, 1946–1961.
Pietro Abelardo, Dialectica, edited by L.M. De Rijk, van Gorcum 1970.
In addition to the analysis of the sources, the exam will focus on the
study of the following secondary literature texts.
Required readings:
Knuuttila, S., 1993, Modalities in Medieval Philosophy, London, New York:
Routledge; second edition, 2020.
Mugnai, M, Possible Necessary, Il Mulino, 2013.
Any didactic material used or distributed during the lessons will be
uploaded on ELLY, under the heading of the course.
Non-attending students are invited to contact the Professor to agree on
the exam programme
Teaching methods
During the course, we will read together several ancient and medieval
texts dealing with modal logic and the nature of modalities, and we will
try to "extract" from these the different modal theories advanced by their
authors and to relate these theories both with the historical context in
which they were developed and with some contemporary logical theories.
For both the reading and the discussion of the texts, the active
participation of the whole class and the constant interaction between
teacher and students is required.
Assessment methods and criteria
The exam consists in the drafting of a short written paper (about 10-12 pages, written in English or Italian) in which the student must demonstrate his / her ability to formulate and discuss a specific logical / philosophical problem (related to the theme of the course), to reconstruct the theoretical position of a particular author and place it in the historical context of origin. The oral part of the exam consists of a discussion based on the essay.
Other information
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