The course of History of philosophy of the Enlightenment is part of the program in Philosophy (BA level) and is included among the characterising training activities.
Upon completion of the course, students are expected to know the basic issues of the Enlightenment’s philosophy in relation to one or more theoretical debates that characterize it, and to their historical-cultural contextualization.
Furthermore they will have read in part or in whole one or more canonical texts of the Enlightenment thought (Locke, Hume, Condillac, Diderot, Voltaire, Rousseau etc.) and they will have focused 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 theoretical and in a historical perspective.
Students are expected to acquire the following skills:
- Critical thinking on the Enlightenment’s philosophy and on its relation to wider issues (both historical and philosophical);
- Language and argumentation skills required in order to deal with the topics covered in the course.
- Basic capacity to read and analyse Enlightenment philosophical texts (in translation).
Upon completion of the course, students are expected to know the basic issues of the Enlightenment’s philosophy in relation to one or more theoretical debates that characterize it, and to their historical-cultural contextualization.
Furthermore they will have read in part or in whole one or more canonical texts of the Enlightenment thought (Locke, Hume, Condillac, Diderot, Voltaire, Rousseau etc.) and they will have focused 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 theoretical and in a historical perspective.
Students are expected to acquire the following skills:
- Critical thinking on the Enlightenment’s philosophy and on its relation to wider issues (both historical and philosophical);
- Language and argumentation skills required in order to deal with the topics covered in the course.
- Basic capacity to read and analyse Enlightenment philosophical texts (in translation).
teacher profile teaching materials
The course will explore the new conception of nature and history inaugurated by the 18th century, focusing on two key concepts that enable us to understand the spirit of the Enlightenment: catastrophe and progress. Didactic Unit 1 will be devoted to the analysis of a series of short texts - by Voltaire, Rousseau and Kant - on a catastrophic natural event that had an enormous resonance in Europe at the time: the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Didactic Unit 2 will focus on the analysis of some short texts by Kant and Condorcet, which outline a philosophy of history based on the idea of progress. At the end of the course, there will be a space for reflection on the relevance of the questions raised by the Enlightenment about man's misuse of nature and progress as an effect of democratic governance of power and property.
1. Voltaire, Poem on the Lisbon Desaster (1755) All editions
2. Rousseau, Letter to Voltaire (in reply to the Voltaire's Poem on the Lisbon Desaster (1756) All editions
3. José O. AMARQUES, The Paths of Providence: Voltaire and Rousseau on the Lisbon Earthquake in «Cadernos de História e Filosofia da Ciência». Campinas: CLE-Unicamp, Série 3, v.15, n.1, jan-jun. 2005, p. 33-57 (http://www.unicamp.br/~jmarques/pesq/modern.htm) free access
4. I. Kant, What is Enlightenment? (1784) All editions
5. I. Kant 'A renewed attempt to answer the question: "is the human race continually improving"? (1798) All editions
6. Condorcet, 10th Epoch. Future Progress of Man (1796) (Final chapter of Condorcet's Outlines of an historical view of the progress of the human mind) All editions
7. J.B. Bury: The Idea of Progress: an Inquiry Into its Origin and Growth, 1932 or R. Nisbet, The History of the Idea of Progress, Routledge, 1994 (especially the parts on Einlightenment)
Programme
Title: Catastrophe and Progress in the Age of EnlightenmentThe course will explore the new conception of nature and history inaugurated by the 18th century, focusing on two key concepts that enable us to understand the spirit of the Enlightenment: catastrophe and progress. Didactic Unit 1 will be devoted to the analysis of a series of short texts - by Voltaire, Rousseau and Kant - on a catastrophic natural event that had an enormous resonance in Europe at the time: the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Didactic Unit 2 will focus on the analysis of some short texts by Kant and Condorcet, which outline a philosophy of history based on the idea of progress. At the end of the course, there will be a space for reflection on the relevance of the questions raised by the Enlightenment about man's misuse of nature and progress as an effect of democratic governance of power and property.
Core Documentation
Programme for Erasmus Students:1. Voltaire, Poem on the Lisbon Desaster (1755) All editions
2. Rousseau, Letter to Voltaire (in reply to the Voltaire's Poem on the Lisbon Desaster (1756) All editions
3. José O. AMARQUES, The Paths of Providence: Voltaire and Rousseau on the Lisbon Earthquake in «Cadernos de História e Filosofia da Ciência». Campinas: CLE-Unicamp, Série 3, v.15, n.1, jan-jun. 2005, p. 33-57 (http://www.unicamp.br/~jmarques/pesq/modern.htm) free access
4. I. Kant, What is Enlightenment? (1784) All editions
5. I. Kant 'A renewed attempt to answer the question: "is the human race continually improving"? (1798) All editions
6. Condorcet, 10th Epoch. Future Progress of Man (1796) (Final chapter of Condorcet's Outlines of an historical view of the progress of the human mind) All editions
7. J.B. Bury: The Idea of Progress: an Inquiry Into its Origin and Growth, 1932 or R. Nisbet, The History of the Idea of Progress, Routledge, 1994 (especially the parts on Einlightenment)
Reference Bibliography
For further reading on Catastrophe: Sandin, P. (2018). Conceptualizations of Disasters in Philosophy. In: O’Mathúna, D., Dranseika, V., Gordijn, B. (eds) Disasters: Core Concepts and Ethical Theories. Advancing Global Bioethics, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92722-0_2 (free access) For further reading on Progress: Entry "Progress" in Standfor Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/progress/ (free access)Type of delivery of the course
The course includes: • Frontal teaching; • Discussions with students and debates on the topics covered; • At least one seminar related to the topics covered in the course.Attendance
Attendance is not mandatory.Type of evaluation
Verification of learning takes place through an oral test. The preparation of a written paper (in italian, english, french or portuguese) of 2,500 words is required to be discussed during the examination, which will focus on one or more of the texts in points 1-4 among the adopted texts and will make use of the corresponding reference bibliography for further analysis. The paper must be sent to the teacher at least 15 days before the oral test (exam). For Erasmus students: the oral test can also be taken in English, French or Portuguese.