Learning objectives
Objectives of the course (preferably expressed in terms of learning outcomes and competences): On one hand the course describes the historical context of the debate on concepts, while on the other hand it presents the respective texts, and encourages students to develop a critical interpretation according to which they can form their own personal viewpoint.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisite requirements.
Course unit content
The history of the notion of concept from Aristotle to Leibniz
Full programme
Title: Concepts: a historical perspective
We will try to answer the question: 'which function do concepts have in logic?'. Aristotle speaks of concepts in a book on logic: The De Interpretatione, but he postpones the systematic analysis to a psychological work: The De Anima. We will follow the development of the issue of concepts from Aristotle to Leibniz. Boethius and medieval commentators re-propose the Aristotelian ambivalence, speaking of concepts on one hand from a psychological point of view and from a logical-semantical perspective on the other. In Late scholastic as well as in 17th century, concepts and conceptual meaning play an important role in logic; the original ambiguity is not overcome but in some way reproduced.
Bibliography
Course notes can be downloaded from the website http://www.slprbo.unipr.it in the “documents” folder (access with password for students taking the course)
Teaching methods
oral lessons
Assessment methods and criteria
short paper and oral examination
Other information
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