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
In the fourth book of Metaphysics (Gamma), Aristotle thematizes a philosophical science devoted to the study of ‘being qua being’, of all the attributes it possesses as such, and of the principles of demonstration – namely, those traditionally referred to as the principle of non-contradiction and the principle of excluded middle. This text has been key to the history of metaphysics and ontology. We will read this text analytically and will also examine selected excerpts from other books of Metaphysics as well as from other Aristotelian works, in particular the Organon.
1. Aristotle, Metaphysics, Translated with Introduction and Notes by C. D. C. Reeve, Indianapolis, Hackett, 2016, pp. 48-68
2. Selection of further primary texts provided by the course instructor.
Secondary literature:
3. Vasilis Politis, Aristotle and the Metaphysics, London-New York, Routledge, 2004
4. Aristotle, Metaphysics: Books Γ, Δ, and Ε, Translated with Notes by Chrisopher Kirwan, Oxford, Clarendon Press 1993, pp. 76-121 (Metaphysics Book Gamma: Notes)
5. Code, Alan, “Aristotle’s Metaphysics as a Science of Principles“, Revue Internationale de Philosophie, 51, 1997, pp. 357-378.
6. Wedin, Michael, “The Science and Axioms of Being”, in G. Anagnostopoulos (a cura di), A Companion to Aristotle, Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009, pp. 125-143.
7. Gottlieb, Paula, “Aristotle on Non-Contradiction”, in Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2023 Edition), https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-noncontradiction/.
Texts 4.-7. will be provided by the course instructor in .pdf format.
Additional bibliographic references for optional further study will be provided during the course (see ‘Svolgimento’).
Non-attending students (see ‘Frequenza’) are also required to study the following work:
• Christopher Shields, Order in Multiplicity. Homonymy in the Philosophy of Aristotle, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999
Programme
Aristotle, Metaphysics, Book IVIn the fourth book of Metaphysics (Gamma), Aristotle thematizes a philosophical science devoted to the study of ‘being qua being’, of all the attributes it possesses as such, and of the principles of demonstration – namely, those traditionally referred to as the principle of non-contradiction and the principle of excluded middle. This text has been key to the history of metaphysics and ontology. We will read this text analytically and will also examine selected excerpts from other books of Metaphysics as well as from other Aristotelian works, in particular the Organon.
Core Documentation
Primary literature:1. Aristotle, Metaphysics, Translated with Introduction and Notes by C. D. C. Reeve, Indianapolis, Hackett, 2016, pp. 48-68
2. Selection of further primary texts provided by the course instructor.
Secondary literature:
3. Vasilis Politis, Aristotle and the Metaphysics, London-New York, Routledge, 2004
4. Aristotle, Metaphysics: Books Γ, Δ, and Ε, Translated with Notes by Chrisopher Kirwan, Oxford, Clarendon Press 1993, pp. 76-121 (Metaphysics Book Gamma: Notes)
5. Code, Alan, “Aristotle’s Metaphysics as a Science of Principles“, Revue Internationale de Philosophie, 51, 1997, pp. 357-378.
6. Wedin, Michael, “The Science and Axioms of Being”, in G. Anagnostopoulos (a cura di), A Companion to Aristotle, Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009, pp. 125-143.
7. Gottlieb, Paula, “Aristotle on Non-Contradiction”, in Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2023 Edition), https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-noncontradiction/.
Texts 4.-7. will be provided by the course instructor in .pdf format.
Additional bibliographic references for optional further study will be provided during the course (see ‘Svolgimento’).
Non-attending students (see ‘Frequenza’) are also required to study the following work:
• Christopher Shields, Order in Multiplicity. Homonymy in the Philosophy of Aristotle, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999
Attendance
Attendance is not mandatory but strongly recommended. Students will be considered as attending only if with a minimum attendance rate of 75% of the lectures. Active participation in class discussions will be taken into account in the evaluation (see 'Valutazione').Type of evaluation
The evaluation will be based on three factors: i) PARTICIPATION (20%) Assessing the student's active contribution to in-class discussions. ii) ORAL EXAMINATION (40%) In either Italian, English, or French, and assessing the student’s knowledge and understanding of the texts and issues analyzed thorughout the course. iii) FINAL PAPER (40%) Each student is required to write a term paper in either Italian or English (3,000 words). The paper will be discussed during the oral examination and should focus on a specific topic chosen from one of the following themes: a. Being and its unity b. Science of being qua being, first philosophy, dialectic and sophistry c. The principle of non-contradiction and the principle of excluded middle Guidelines for the final paper: 1) Requirement: The final paper is mandatory and can be written in either Italian or English. 2) Length: The paper must not exceed 3,000 words. Conciseness features prominently among the evaluation criteria. Papers exceeding 3,000 words will not be evaluated positively. 3) Preparation: By the end of the course, each student will have to agree on a specific topic with the course instructor and submit to him a brief outline of the paper along with a short bibliography. 4) Submission: The paper must be submitted to the course instructor via institutional email in .pdf format no later than 7 days before the oral examination chosen date. The file must be named with the student’s last name in capital letters (e.g., ROSSI.pdf). NB: Submissions from non-institutional email addresses will not be considered. 5) Formatting and editorial guidelines: - The final paper must closely follow the editorial guidelines provided by the course instructor - For citations and bibliographic references, students must stick to the Author-Year system. - The linguistic and editorial care of the paper features prominently among the evaluation criteria. 6) Evaluation Criteria - Knowledge and understanding of the content - Language accuracy and clarity of exposition - Conciseness and synthesis skills - Linguistic and editorial care