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
B. Spinoza, Ethics, Penguin Classics
Programme
The course offers a rigorous investigation into the roots of modern philosophical psychology and anthropology, exploring how Thomas Hobbes and Baruch Spinoza deconstructed classical morality to found a new science of human nature. Moving away from the tradition that viewed passions as vices to be eradicated or flaws of the will, the course will analyze the process of the radical "naturalization" of affects. Through chapters VI-XV of Leviathan, the mechanics of the Hobbesian mind will be studied: how desire and aversion determine action, generating the conflict-driven state of nature that makes the institution of an artificial covenant rationally necessary. This framework will then be put into tension with the ontology of the Ethics (Parts III and IV), where Spinoza, proceeding with geometric rigor, demonstrates how the essence of human beings coincides with conatus (the vital force of desire). The course will address the problems of determinism, "human bondage" to the strength of affects, and the redefinition of virtue not as asceticism, but as the empowerment of one's nature through reason. The course will thus provide the categories to understand an epochal shift: the transition from an ethics of duty to an ethics of desire, demonstrating the relevance of these authors in contemporary debates on the limits of free will and the biological-instinctual bases of human action.Core Documentation
T. Hobbes, Leviathan, Cambridge University PressB. Spinoza, Ethics, Penguin Classics
Reference Bibliography
S. James, Passion and Action: The Emotions in Seventeenth-Century Philosophy, Oxford University Press. R. Tuck, Hobbes: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press. S. Nadler, Spinoza's Ethics: An Introduction, Cambridge University Press. Emanuela Scribano, Guida alla lettura dell'"Etica" di Spinoza (Laterza) Guido Frilli, Alessio Lembo Guida alla lettura del "Leviatano" di Hobbes (ETS)Attendance
The course will be held both in person and online. Lectures will be recorded, and course materials will be provided at the end of the term. Attendance – preferably in person – is encouraged, but not mandatory.Type of evaluation
The exam will be conducted orally and is structured to assess both the student's independent critical understanding and their precise knowledge of the subject matter. The interview will begin by allowing the student to present a topic of their choosing from the syllabus. This initial presentation will be followed by a direct dialogue designed to verify the logical coherence and significance of the proposed argument, as well as the student's ability to navigate the text independently. In the second part, the exam will proceed with more specific, detailed questions to ensure a thorough and accurate knowledge of the assigned texts, the authors' conceptual frameworks, and the historical-philosophical context covered during the course.