HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY

To Understand and critically investigate the development of contemporary philosophy in the XIX and XX centuries through the most representative philosophers.
- To be able to have a critical look at the doctrines of the philosophers within an historical framework.
- To be able to argue on their thinking, using appropriate logical and linguistic tools.

Lectures (methodological strategy used: Active learning), Group work, Exercises on philosophical texts.

The following matters will be examined: Mind, Knowledge, Language, Science, Morality, Politics, Law, Metaphysics, the re-enactment of the History of Philosophy.

• Module A: The following thinkers will be dealt with through their biographical and philosophical development: Post-Hegelian Schools, Schopehauer, Marx, Husserl, Heidegger, Jaspers, Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse, Benjamin, Russell, Wittgenstein, The Vienna Circle, Popper.
• Module B: The question of the History/Memory nexus in Water Benjamin's philosophy will be critically analysed. 

1) G. Cambiano, M. Mori, Storia della filosofia contemporanea, Laterza, Bari 2014. 
 2) W. Benjamin, Tesi di filosofia della storia, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2012;
 3) W. Benjamin, Angelus Novus, Einaudi, Torino, 2014.
(English versions of these texts are available for Erasmus Students).

It is envisaged during the course that the individual level of learning will be assessed through the administration of questionnaires. This self-assessment test may be taken into account for the formulation of the final grade, if accepted by the student and deemed by the lecturer to be congruent with the course objectives. The final grade will be formulated on the basis of the following indicators:

•  Systematicity of treatment of the contents;

• Adequacy of expression with regard to the contents (possession of philosophical terminology); 

• Ability to re-elaborate knowledge; 

• Ability to organise knowledge in relation to specific objectives; 

• Level of analytical skill demonstrated in relation to the topics covered by the examination programme; 

• Ability to go into critical details

It is emphasised that at the time of the mid-term and final oral examinations, the questions are differentiated according to the cognitive input provided to the student and from which he is required to demonstrate: 1) content knowledge (first level), 2) ability to analyse (second level) and 3) aptitude for problematisation and critical comparison (third level). All questions relating to the historical contextualisation of the philosophers, the understanding of the correct meaning of the basic terms and concepts relating to their philosophies, as well as the correct attribution to the philosophers of their main works and the summary knowledge of the content referring to them are therefore considered essential for passing the examination. (Examples of questions: Apollonian and Dionysian in Nietzsche; Hegel: dates of publication and titles of the most relevant works; Comparison of the category of Being in Jaspers and Heidegger; Specific features of the genesis of Capital; Contribution of the sociological component to the philosophical matrix in the Frankfurt School; Critical analysis of the different positions within the Vienna Circle).