The course of History of ancient philosophy is part of the program in Philosophy (BA level) and is included among the characterising training activities.
The objective of the course is to provide knowledge of the basic issues of ancient philosophy (philosophical debates, historical and intellectual background). Students will read through one of Plato’s dialogues or one of Aristotle’s treatises and they will focus on the basic issues and debates connected to it.
Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to discuss and to develop arguments both in a theorical and in a historical perspective.
Upon completion of the course students are expected to acquire the following skills:
Critical thinking on ancient philosophy and on its relation to wider issues (both historical and philosophical);
Language and argumentation skills required for reading ancient philosophy and discussing about it;
Basic capacity to read and analyse ancient philosophical sources (in translation).
The objective of the course is to provide knowledge of the basic issues of ancient philosophy (philosophical debates, historical and intellectual background). Students will read through one of Plato’s dialogues or one of Aristotle’s treatises and they will focus on the basic issues and debates connected to it.
Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to discuss and to develop arguments both in a theorical and in a historical perspective.
Upon completion of the course students are expected to acquire the following skills:
Critical thinking on ancient philosophy and on its relation to wider issues (both historical and philosophical);
Language and argumentation skills required for reading ancient philosophy and discussing about it;
Basic capacity to read and analyse ancient philosophical sources (in translation).
teacher profile teaching materials
Aristotle’s Metaphysics I: The science of first causes; Aristotle’s criticism of early Greek philosophers.
The A Course Module will be held during the first part the semester (6 weeks) and will focus on the following issues:
Aristotle’s theory of science and the structure of Aristotle’s Metaphysics.
The theory of causes.
Aristotle’s account of early Greek naturalist philosophers.
B Course Module:
Aristotle’s Metaphysics I: Aristotle and Plato
The B Course Module will be held during the second part of the semester (6 weeks) and will focus on the following issues:
Aristotle’s criticism of Plato’s theory of Ideas.
Aristotle’s criticism of Plato’s theory of Principles.
Plato’s so-called “unwritten doctrines”.
[a] B. Centrone, Prima lezione di filosofia antica, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2015
R.Chiaradonna e P. Pecere, Filosofia – La ricerca della conoscenza, Mondadori Education, Milano, 2018, vol. 1A per intero; vol. 1B pp. 1-107 (fino al capitolo Neoplatonismo e filosofia tardo-antica incluso)
R. Chiaradonna, Platonismo, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2017
[b] F. Ademollo e M. Vegetti, Incontro con Aristotele, Einaudi, Torino 2016
Aristotele, Metafisica, Introduzione, traduzione e note di E. Berti, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2017,
pp. V-XXXIII; 3-41.
[c] Students are required to prepare a written paper in Italian (2.500 words) about the texts listed at point [a].
B Course Module:
[a] B. Centrone, Prima lezione di filosofia antica, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2015
R.Chiaradonna e P. Pecere, Filosofia – La ricerca della conoscenza, Mondadori Education, Milano, 2018, vol. 1A per intero; vol. 1B pp. 1-107 (fino al capitolo Neoplatonismo e filosofia tardo-antica incluso)
R. Chiaradonna, Platonismo, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2017
[b] P. Donini, La Metafisica di Aristotele. Introduzione alla lettura, Carocci, Roma, 2015.
Aristotele, Metafisica, Introduzione, traduzione e note di E. Berti, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2017,
pp. V-XXXIII; 41-53.
[c] Students are required to prepare a written paper in Italian (2.500 words) about the texts listed at point [a].
Philosophy students earn 12 ECTS by studying the A + B Course Modules.
Programme
A Course Module:Aristotle’s Metaphysics I: The science of first causes; Aristotle’s criticism of early Greek philosophers.
The A Course Module will be held during the first part the semester (6 weeks) and will focus on the following issues:
Aristotle’s theory of science and the structure of Aristotle’s Metaphysics.
The theory of causes.
Aristotle’s account of early Greek naturalist philosophers.
B Course Module:
Aristotle’s Metaphysics I: Aristotle and Plato
The B Course Module will be held during the second part of the semester (6 weeks) and will focus on the following issues:
Aristotle’s criticism of Plato’s theory of Ideas.
Aristotle’s criticism of Plato’s theory of Principles.
Plato’s so-called “unwritten doctrines”.
Core Documentation
A Course Module[a] B. Centrone, Prima lezione di filosofia antica, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2015
R.Chiaradonna e P. Pecere, Filosofia – La ricerca della conoscenza, Mondadori Education, Milano, 2018, vol. 1A per intero; vol. 1B pp. 1-107 (fino al capitolo Neoplatonismo e filosofia tardo-antica incluso)
R. Chiaradonna, Platonismo, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2017
[b] F. Ademollo e M. Vegetti, Incontro con Aristotele, Einaudi, Torino 2016
Aristotele, Metafisica, Introduzione, traduzione e note di E. Berti, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2017,
pp. V-XXXIII; 3-41.
[c] Students are required to prepare a written paper in Italian (2.500 words) about the texts listed at point [a].
B Course Module:
[a] B. Centrone, Prima lezione di filosofia antica, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2015
R.Chiaradonna e P. Pecere, Filosofia – La ricerca della conoscenza, Mondadori Education, Milano, 2018, vol. 1A per intero; vol. 1B pp. 1-107 (fino al capitolo Neoplatonismo e filosofia tardo-antica incluso)
R. Chiaradonna, Platonismo, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2017
[b] P. Donini, La Metafisica di Aristotele. Introduzione alla lettura, Carocci, Roma, 2015.
Aristotele, Metafisica, Introduzione, traduzione e note di E. Berti, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2017,
pp. V-XXXIII; 41-53.
[c] Students are required to prepare a written paper in Italian (2.500 words) about the texts listed at point [a].
Philosophy students earn 12 ECTS by studying the A + B Course Modules.
Type of delivery of the course
The course includes: Lectures Discussions and debates with students Class attendance is not mandatory but is strongly recommended.Type of evaluation
Assessment of learning outcomes is done through an oral examination. Students are required to prepare a written paper (2500 words) in Italian about the texts listed at point [a]. The paper will be the subject of a detailed discussion during the oral examination. Assessment: Paper 40% (criteria to be considered: knowledge and understanding of the texts and of the issues addressed; argumentation and synthesis; language and editing) Colloquium 60%.