HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

The course offers historical and comparative analysis of philosophical thought from its origins to Kant. You will face the main ideas around man, nature, God, happiness, social life, and the possibility of a scientific knowledge of the world and the universe. To this end we will probe four historical eras, from antiquity to the modern era. They will be organized thematically into four groups: The classic era and the birth of philosophy in the West; The theological influences; The hope for a better life; Philosophy and science between rationalism and empiricism.

The monographic section will be devoted to the relationship between nature, man and society. This relationship will be expressed through a historical approach that will link myths, philosophy and science. We will follow two studies: the first relates to the discovery of nature; the second to the possible effects that this nature can have on society and on the individual’s personal life. The first study is entitled “Nature loves to hide. Imagination and reason in the study of nature and of man “; the second is entitled “Instincts, personal development and happiness. Freud, Marcuse and contemporary behavioural biology”. The study is aimed at creating greater awareness about the influences that the idea of ​​Nature may have in the training and development of the person.

The course includes two parts.

The first part provides a basic understanding of the history of Western philosophy from Thales to Kant. L’indagine sulla natura – I sofisti e Socrate – Platone e l’Accademia antica – Aristotele – L’età ellenistica: scetticismo, stoicismo epicureismo – L’incontro tra filosofia greca e religioni bibliche – Plotino e il neoplatonismo – La patristica e Agostino d’Ippona – La prima scolastica: Giovanni Scoto Eriugena, Anselmo d’Aosta, Abelardo – La filosofia araba: Averroè – Il trionfo della scolastica: Bonaventura di Bagnorea, Tommaso d’Aquino e Ruggero Bacone – Il XIII secolo e la dine della scolastica: Giovanni Duns Scoto, Guglielmo do Ockam – La filosofia del Quattrocento, l’umanesimo e il Rinascimento: il platonismo fiorentino, Cusano, Ficino e Pico della Mirandola – Il cinquecento: Telesio, Bruno, Campanella – Il pensiero scientifico nel Cinquecento e nel Seicento: Copernico, Brahe, Keplero, Galilei, Newton – Gli inizi della filosofia moderna: Francesco Bacone e Cartesio – Hobbes – Cartesianesimo e giansenismo: Pascal – Spinoza – Locke – Leibniz – Vico – Berkeley – Hume – L’illuminismo francese – L’illuminismo italiano – Kant.

The second part affect the relationship between nature, man and society. You will have to present and argue the two studies discussed during the course: the first concerns the discovery of nature; the second the possible effects that this nature can have on society and on the individual’s personal life. The first study is entitled “Nature loves to hide. Imagination and reason in the study of nature and of man “and it will be carried out following the lines proposed by Pierre Hadot in his book (see bibliography, text 2); the second is entitled “Instincts, personal development and happiness. Freud, Marcuse and contemporary behavioural biology“ and will be analysed through a critical reading of Eros e civiltà (text 3) in the light of contemporary biology (text 4).

1. E. Berti – F. Volpi, Storia della filosofia, Editori Laterza, Roma–Bari (Compact edition – first volume, marked with the letter A [around 400 pages]). Mandatory parts: Antichità e medioevo: Introduzione, Capp. 1, 2, 3 (§§ 1–6), 4 (§§ 1–8), 5, 7, 8 (§§ 2, 4, 5), 9 (§ 3), 10 (§§1–3), 11 (§ 4), 12 (§§ 1–4), 13 (§§ 2, 4), 14 (§ 3). L’età moderna: Capp. 1 (§§ 1, 3–5), 2 (§§ 5, 6), 3, 4, 5 (§ 2), 6 (§§ 2–3), 7, 8 (§ 3), 9, 10 (§ 2), 11 (§§ 1–2, 4, 5), 12 (§§ 1, 3, 4, 6, 7), 13 (§§ 7–8), 15.
2. Pierre Hadot, Il velo d’Iside. Storia dell’idea di natura, Einaudi, 2006 [around 300 pages; it is possible to use also the English edition]
3. Herbert Marcuse, Eros e civiltà, Einaudi, 2001 [around 200 pages around 300 pages; it is possible to use also the English edition]
4. Lecture notes and excerpts from the works of authors [they will be available on internet: please, see Studium web platform]