In line with the objectives of the entire CDS, the teaching of philosophy of action aims to provide:
1) A thorough knowledge of the main philosophical orientations around the theme of the action, both in relation to its history and in relation to contemporary discussion, with particular regard to its connection with the issues of identity, intersubjectivity, free will, voluntary/involuntary will and habits.
2) The ability to contextualize, analyze and critically interpret philosophical texts relating to the field of philosophy of action.
3) The lexical and conceptual tools necessary to study the philosophy of action and useful to acquire good exposition skills in written and oral form.
At the end of the course the student will be able to understand the general lines of the philosophy of the action, the related debates and to master some key concepts of this disciplinary area.
1) A thorough knowledge of the main philosophical orientations around the theme of the action, both in relation to its history and in relation to contemporary discussion, with particular regard to its connection with the issues of identity, intersubjectivity, free will, voluntary/involuntary will and habits.
2) The ability to contextualize, analyze and critically interpret philosophical texts relating to the field of philosophy of action.
3) The lexical and conceptual tools necessary to study the philosophy of action and useful to acquire good exposition skills in written and oral form.
At the end of the course the student will be able to understand the general lines of the philosophy of the action, the related debates and to master some key concepts of this disciplinary area.
teacher profile teaching materials
D.U. 1:
C. Carlisle, On Habit, London, Routledge, 2014
Ch. S. Peirce, The Fixation of Belief, any edition
D.U. 2:
B. Pollard, “Habitual Actions”, in T. O’Connor, C. Sandis (ed. by), A Companion to the Philosophy of Action, Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2010, pp. 74-81
B. Pollard, “Identification, Psychology, and Habits”, in New Waves in Philosophy of Action, edited by J. Aguilar, A. Buckareff and K. Frankish, 8 New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, pp. 81–97
A. Noë, Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness. Hill and Wang, 2010 (limited to chap. V).
Programme
The course aims to provide conceptual and historical tools around a specific topic in the philosophy of action: habitual actions. The first module aims to provide a synthetic overview of philosophical theories on habit and habitual actions in correlation with the contemporary debate. The second module will focus on the specificity of habitual actions, on which philosophy, including analytical philosophy, has only recently resumed its attention, in close dialogue with psychology, sociology and neuroscience. To this end, a number of doctrines that provide key elements for reflection on the relationship between action, intentionality, automatisms and habits will be examined, including the Aristotelian and pragmatist doctrines.Core Documentation
For Erasmus Students:D.U. 1:
C. Carlisle, On Habit, London, Routledge, 2014
Ch. S. Peirce, The Fixation of Belief, any edition
D.U. 2:
B. Pollard, “Habitual Actions”, in T. O’Connor, C. Sandis (ed. by), A Companion to the Philosophy of Action, Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2010, pp. 74-81
B. Pollard, “Identification, Psychology, and Habits”, in New Waves in Philosophy of Action, edited by J. Aguilar, A. Buckareff and K. Frankish, 8 New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, pp. 81–97
A. Noë, Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness. Hill and Wang, 2010 (limited to chap. V).
Reference Bibliography
M. De Caro, Azione, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2008 T. O’Connor, C. Sandis (ed. by), A Companion to the Philosophy of Action, Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. J. Dancy, C. Sandis (ed. by), Philosopghy of Action: An Anthology, Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2015. F. Emiliani, La realtà delle piccole cose. Psicologia del quotidiano. Bologna, Il Mulino, 2008. F. Caruana, I. Testa (eds.), Habits: Pragmatist Approaches from Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, and Social Theory, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2020.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. In relation to the adopted texts, the preparation of a written paper of 2,500 words to be discussed during the examination is required. The paper must be sent to the teacher at least 15 days before the oral test (exam).