The course of History of modern 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 modern philosophy (philosophical debates, historical and intellectual background, analysis of lexicon and arguments). Students will read through a classic of modern philosophy or parts of several classics in order to understand a key episode in modern Western thought and its reception.
Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to discuss and to develop arguments both in a theoretical and in a historical perspective.
Upon completion of the course, students are expected to acquire the following skills:
- Critical thinking on modern philosophy and on its relation to wider issues (both historical and philosophical);
- Language and argumentation skills required for reading modern philosophy and discussing about it;
- Basic capacity to read and analyse modern philosophical sources (in translation).
The objective of the course is to provide knowledge of the basic issues of modern philosophy (philosophical debates, historical and intellectual background, analysis of lexicon and arguments). Students will read through a classic of modern philosophy or parts of several classics in order to understand a key episode in modern Western thought and its reception.
Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to discuss and to develop arguments both in a theoretical and in a historical perspective.
Upon completion of the course, students are expected to acquire the following skills:
- Critical thinking on modern philosophy and on its relation to wider issues (both historical and philosophical);
- Language and argumentation skills required for reading modern philosophy and discussing about it;
- Basic capacity to read and analyse modern philosophical sources (in translation).
teacher profile teaching materials
Programme
During the course we will read Books II and III of David Hume's 'A Treatise of Human Nature'. Through this reading we will analyse the principles of Humean psychology and ethics in relation to certain sources (Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Hutcheson, Shaftesbury, Mandeville). Particular attention will be paid to the role played by the pursuit of pleasure and utility and by sympathy in determining both passions, such as pride and love of fame, pity and envy, respect and contempt, and natural virtues, such as magnanimity or benevolence, or artificial virtues, such as justice or loyalty.Core Documentation
David Hume, Treatise of human nature, Books II and III (any complete edition).Reference Bibliography
J.L. Mackie, Hume's Moral Theory (Routldedge) Elizabeth S. Radcliffe, Hume, Passion, and Action (Oxford University Press) Jacqueline Anne Taylor, Reflecting Subjects Passion, Sympathy, and Society in Hume's Philosophy (Oxford University Press)Attendance
Not requiredType of evaluation
The exam begins with the student presenting a topic of their choice. It will continue with questions designed to test their knowledge and understanding of the text based on this presentation. It may include reading and commenting on individual passages from 'Treatise'.