Programme

Starting from the role of emotions in the orientation in the world and in the education process, as thought by Martha C. Nussbaum, the programme wants to examine the laycal and social meaning the abovesaid assigns to compassion. To that concept is contrasted the critical interpretation of Hannah Arendt (who considers Rousseau's compassion as a prereflessive and presocial feeling proper of the «humanity in dark times», to be replaced by the political category of friendship as conceived by Lessing). Following the contemporary interpretation of french and german enlightment, the course will examine Derrida's concept of lie, showing its coincidences with Rousseau's thought.

Core Documentation

Hannah Arendt, On Lying and Politics: A Library of America Special Publication Paperback –
Hannah Arendt, On Humanity in the darks Times, Paperback
Martha C. Nussbaum, Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions, Cambridge University Press
Jacques Derrida, The Politics of Friendship Paperback

Type of delivery of the course

The course aims to enable a critical reflection about two ethical and social categories: love to the other, as pietas and compassion, and lie. Favoured are knowledge, awareness and critical analisys of some theoretical and moral issues of the contemporary history of the philosophy. The lectures are based on direct reading of the texts of the classical philosophers included in the program. During the course, papers written by the students on a topic of the classical texts in the program are discussed in the lecture hall. The paper is typically 10-12 pages long (3000 words). The writing and discussion activities are aimed at promoting linguistic-conceptual skills, developing expressive, cognitive and critical potential in the specific subject area.

Attendance

Non-mandatory frequency

Type of evaluation

Interview+ paper (3000 words). The ongoing evaluation concerns the papers written by the students during the course.