20711152 - History of contemporary philosophy

The course of History of contemporary philosophy is part of the program in Philosophical sciences (MA level) and is included among the complementary training activities. The objective of the course is to provide an in-depth understanding of some aspects of contemporary philosophy and its intrinsic interdisciplinary connections with different scientific fields. Students will read through a number of scholarly books and book chapters and they will acquire in-depth understanding of the issues and debates connected to them. Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to discuss and to develop arguments both in a theoretic and in a historic perspective. Upon completion of the course students are expected to acquire the following skills: Advanced critical thinking on contemporary philosophy and on its relation to particular fields of contemporary science (in historical and in philosophical perspective); Advanced language and argumentation skills required for reading contemporary papers in philosophy and discussing about them and their interdisciplinary connections; Capacity to read and analyse contemporary philosophical sources and the relevant critical debate; Oral presentation.
teacher profile | teaching materials

Programme

Magical thought, I and rationality in contemporary philosophy

Core Documentation

1) E. Cassirer, "La forma del concetto nel pensiero mitico" (Mimesis 2021), only the first essay
2) T. Adorno, "Stelle su misura" (Einaudi)
3) E. De Martino, "Il mondo magico" (edizione Boringhieri o nuova ediz. Einaudi)
4) P. Rossi, "Il tempo dei maghi", Raffaello Cortina 2006: Premessa, capitoli 1, 8
5) P. Pecere, "Il dio che danza", nottetempo 2021

Type of delivery of the course

Traditional class; Discussions with students and debates; At least a seminar on topics related to classes; Students’ presentations. (Exceptional health issues may require the transition to distance learning).

Type of evaluation

The evaluation (besides exceptional cases) is based on a written test with open- and close-ended questions. The questions will test the first-hand knowledge of the texts, the lexicon, the argumentative structure and the historico-philosophical context from the 16th to the 18th century. Evaluation: more importance will be given to open-ended questions, their formal correctness and the mastery of the required knowledge.