At the end of the course students are expected to acquire an in-depth knowledge of an ancient philosophical work. Their knowledge will cover the following issues: ancient philosophical theories and debates, historical and cultural background, international scholarly debate.
Furthermore students are expected to acquire the following skills:
In-depth critical reading and analysis of ancient philosophical sources and of the relevant scholarly literature;
In-depth critical thinking and historical methodology;
Critical analysis and argumentation in oral and written form.
Furthermore students are expected to acquire the following skills:
In-depth critical reading and analysis of ancient philosophical sources and of the relevant scholarly literature;
In-depth critical thinking and historical methodology;
Critical analysis and argumentation in oral and written form.
teacher profile teaching materials
1: The science of being
2: The principles of contradiction and of the excluded middle
3: Dialectic and philosophy
Aristotle, Metaphysics: Books Γ, Δ, and Ε, Translated with Notes by Christopher Kirwan, Oxford 1998, pp. 76-121 (Metaphysics Book Gamma: Notes).
Michael W. Wedin, “The Science and Axioms of Being”, in G. Anagnostopoulos, A Companion to Aristotle, Blackwell, Oxford 2009, pp. 125-143.
Cohen, S. Marc and C. D. C. Reeve, "Aristotle’s Metaphysics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2021/entries/aristotle-metaphysics/
Gottlieb, Paula, "Aristotle on Non-contradiction", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2019/entries/aristotle-noncontradiction/
[b] Students are required to prepare a paper (3.000 words ca.) on one of the topics listed below:
i: Being and Existence
Gwilym Ellis Lane Owen, “Aristotle on the Snares of Ontology”, in R. Bambrough (ed.), New Essays on Plato and Aristotle, London-New York 2013 (1965), pp. 69-95.
Stephen Menn, “Aristotle on the Many Senses of Being”, Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy, 59 (2021), pp. 187–263.
ii: Metaphysics and Logic
Alan Code, “Aristotle’s investigation of a basic logical principle”, Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 16 (1986), pp. 341–358.
Walter Cavini, "Principia contradictionis. Sui principi aristotelici della contraddizione (§§ 1-3)", Antiquorum Philosophia, 1 (2007), pp. 123-169.
Walter Cavini, "Principia contradictionis. Sui principi aristotelici della contraddizione (§ 4)", Antiquorum Philosophia, 2 (2008), pp. 159-187.
Programme
Aristotle's Metaphysics Book 4:1: The science of being
2: The principles of contradiction and of the excluded middle
3: Dialectic and philosophy
Core Documentation
[a] Aristotele, Metafisica, con testo originale a fronte, Traduzione, introduzione e note di Enrico Berti, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2017, pp. 127-183.Aristotle, Metaphysics: Books Γ, Δ, and Ε, Translated with Notes by Christopher Kirwan, Oxford 1998, pp. 76-121 (Metaphysics Book Gamma: Notes).
Michael W. Wedin, “The Science and Axioms of Being”, in G. Anagnostopoulos, A Companion to Aristotle, Blackwell, Oxford 2009, pp. 125-143.
Cohen, S. Marc and C. D. C. Reeve, "Aristotle’s Metaphysics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2021/entries/aristotle-metaphysics/
Gottlieb, Paula, "Aristotle on Non-contradiction", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2019/entries/aristotle-noncontradiction/
[b] Students are required to prepare a paper (3.000 words ca.) on one of the topics listed below:
i: Being and Existence
Gwilym Ellis Lane Owen, “Aristotle on the Snares of Ontology”, in R. Bambrough (ed.), New Essays on Plato and Aristotle, London-New York 2013 (1965), pp. 69-95.
Stephen Menn, “Aristotle on the Many Senses of Being”, Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy, 59 (2021), pp. 187–263.
ii: Metaphysics and Logic
Alan Code, “Aristotle’s investigation of a basic logical principle”, Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 16 (1986), pp. 341–358.
Walter Cavini, "Principia contradictionis. Sui principi aristotelici della contraddizione (§§ 1-3)", Antiquorum Philosophia, 1 (2007), pp. 123-169.
Walter Cavini, "Principia contradictionis. Sui principi aristotelici della contraddizione (§ 4)", Antiquorum Philosophia, 2 (2008), pp. 159-187.
Reference Bibliography
[c] Jan Lukasiewicz, Del principio di contraddizione in Aristotele, trad. it. Quodlibet, Macerata 2003. Suggested for attending students, mandatory for non-attending studentsType of delivery of the course
The course includes lectures, discussions with students and debates (in-person and online).Attendance
Attendance is not mandatory but strongly recommended.Type of evaluation
Oral interview. Students are required to prepare a paper (3,000 words, in Italian or English) to be discussed during the interview. Assessment: Paper 50%; Oral interview 50%.