The laboratory Introduction to the History of Ancient Philosophy is part of the BA programme in Philosophy and is listed among the "other training activities. By the end of the laboratory, students are expected to have acquired a basic knowledge of ancient Greek philosophy, including its later developments in the Roman imperial period. They will also have read a selection of texts by ancient philosophical authors, focusing on the key themes and debates connected to them.
By the end of the laboratory, students will be able to apply their knowledge in philosophical discussion and argumentation, from both a theoretical and a historical-philosophical perspective, and will have developed:
the ability to analyse and interpret philosophical texts;
linguistic and argumentative skills;
the ability to contextualise their knowledge within the broader philosophical debate.
By the end of the laboratory, students will be able to apply their knowledge in philosophical discussion and argumentation, from both a theoretical and a historical-philosophical perspective, and will have developed:
the ability to analyse and interpret philosophical texts;
linguistic and argumentative skills;
the ability to contextualise their knowledge within the broader philosophical debate.
teacher profile teaching materials
The workshop format privileges active participation: alongside the instructor's presentation of content, substantial time is devoted to the collective reading and analysis of passages from primary sources, guided discussion, and practice in philosophical argumentation. Attendance is therefore mandatory, as is the preparation of a short essay on one of the specified topics.
The laboratory is divided into three thematic parts, spanning a total of twelve weeks. Each part alternates introductory lectures, close reading and commentary of texts, and guided discussion sessions.
Part I – From the Origins to Socrates (weeks 1–4)
The first part introduces students to the birth of philosophical thought in the Greek world, from the cosmological tradition of the Presocratics to the figure of Socrates.
Part II – Plato and Aristotle (weeks 5–9)
The second part is devoted to the two authors considered central to the entire history of Western philosophy. The study of Plato and Aristotle is conducted through the direct reading of significant passages from their works, with attention to both their metaphysical systems and the ethical and political implications of their thought.
Part III – Ancient Philosophy after Aristotle (weeks 10–12)
The third part examines the philosophical traditions of the Hellenistic period and Late Antiquity, less familiar to students but crucial for understanding the transmission of ancient thought to the Middle Ages and modernity. The approach is comparative: the various systems are examined alongside one another and in relation to the earlier schools.
R. Chiaradonna e P. Pecere, La vita della mente: Tempi e temi della filosofia, Vol. 1, Mondadori Education, Milano 2026 (up to Plotinus and Neoplatonism, excluding medieval philosophy from Augustine onwards).
R. Chiaradonna, Platonismo, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2017.
A written essay (tesina) of 2,500 words is required on one of the following topics:
[i] The origins of philosophy in Greece: myth and argumentation, the school of Miletus, Heraclitus
[ii] Parmenides, his followers and his critics: Parmenides, Zeno, Melissus, Gorgias, Plato
[iii] Pluralist cosmologies in the 5th century BC: Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus
[iv] The Sophistic movement: Persuasion, rhetoric and relativism in Protagoras and Gorgias
[v] Being and causes in Plato and Aristotle
Programme
The Laboratory of Institutions of Ancient Philosophy is an introductory course designed to prepare students for the systematic study of Greco-Roman ancient philosophy. It aims to provide students with a basic knowledge of ancient philosophical thought from its origins through the Hellenistic and Imperial periods, through the direct and annotated reading of selected texts.The workshop format privileges active participation: alongside the instructor's presentation of content, substantial time is devoted to the collective reading and analysis of passages from primary sources, guided discussion, and practice in philosophical argumentation. Attendance is therefore mandatory, as is the preparation of a short essay on one of the specified topics.
The laboratory is divided into three thematic parts, spanning a total of twelve weeks. Each part alternates introductory lectures, close reading and commentary of texts, and guided discussion sessions.
Part I – From the Origins to Socrates (weeks 1–4)
The first part introduces students to the birth of philosophical thought in the Greek world, from the cosmological tradition of the Presocratics to the figure of Socrates.
Part II – Plato and Aristotle (weeks 5–9)
The second part is devoted to the two authors considered central to the entire history of Western philosophy. The study of Plato and Aristotle is conducted through the direct reading of significant passages from their works, with attention to both their metaphysical systems and the ethical and political implications of their thought.
Part III – Ancient Philosophy after Aristotle (weeks 10–12)
The third part examines the philosophical traditions of the Hellenistic period and Late Antiquity, less familiar to students but crucial for understanding the transmission of ancient thought to the Middle Ages and modernity. The approach is comparative: the various systems are examined alongside one another and in relation to the earlier schools.
Core Documentation
B. Centrone, Prima lezione di filosofia antica, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2015.R. Chiaradonna e P. Pecere, La vita della mente: Tempi e temi della filosofia, Vol. 1, Mondadori Education, Milano 2026 (up to Plotinus and Neoplatonism, excluding medieval philosophy from Augustine onwards).
R. Chiaradonna, Platonismo, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2017.
A written essay (tesina) of 2,500 words is required on one of the following topics:
[i] The origins of philosophy in Greece: myth and argumentation, the school of Miletus, Heraclitus
[ii] Parmenides, his followers and his critics: Parmenides, Zeno, Melissus, Gorgias, Plato
[iii] Pluralist cosmologies in the 5th century BC: Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus
[iv] The Sophistic movement: Persuasion, rhetoric and relativism in Protagoras and Gorgias
[v] Being and causes in Plato and Aristotle
Reference Bibliography
B. Centrone, Prima lezione di filosofia antica, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2015. R. Chiaradonna e P. Pecere, La vita della mente: Tempi e temi della filosofia, Vol. 1, Mondadori Education, Milano 2026 (up to Plotinus and Neoplatonism, excluding medieval philosophy from Augustine onwards). R. Chiaradonna, Platonismo, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2017.Attendance
Attendance is mandatory.Type of evaluation
Assessment takes place through mandatory attendance, active participation in the Laboratory, and the preparation of a written paper of 2,500 words on one of the topics discussed in the workshop and listed in the syllabus.