Theoretical Philosophy
A.Y. 2019/2020
Learning objectives
The course has the goal to discuss in depth problems in the general area of theoretical philosophy, focusing not just on ontological issues but also on ones concerning the nature of the human mind and stressing the connections with other disciplines, both scientific (psychology, biology, etc) and not (literature, visual arts) ‒ thereby helping students to develop their analytical skills and recognize the connections between philosophical research and the world of culture in general.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
- In-depth knowledge of problems in the area of theoretical philosophy and development of the analytical skills needed to evaluate the various positions which have been embraced in the relevant debates, especially with regard to the most recent developments in the field.
- Ability to employ the concepts and the technical terminology involved in the framing of the problems in question and in the attempts to deal with them.
- Development of a better familiarity with the research methods in the area of theoretical philosophy; special attention is devoted to opportunities to employ ideas and concepts from other disciplines.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
- Ability to apply the knowledge acquired in order to frame problems and solutions concerning the various issues discussed during the course.
- Ability to apply the analytical skills developed and the concepts and methods studied, both in and outside the context of academic philosophy.
- Ability to deal with research results in the area of theoretical philosophy, familiarity with the contemporary debate concerning the topics covered in the course.
- In-depth knowledge of problems in the area of theoretical philosophy and development of the analytical skills needed to evaluate the various positions which have been embraced in the relevant debates, especially with regard to the most recent developments in the field.
- Ability to employ the concepts and the technical terminology involved in the framing of the problems in question and in the attempts to deal with them.
- Development of a better familiarity with the research methods in the area of theoretical philosophy; special attention is devoted to opportunities to employ ideas and concepts from other disciplines.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
- Ability to apply the knowledge acquired in order to frame problems and solutions concerning the various issues discussed during the course.
- Ability to apply the analytical skills developed and the concepts and methods studied, both in and outside the context of academic philosophy.
- Ability to deal with research results in the area of theoretical philosophy, familiarity with the contemporary debate concerning the topics covered in the course.
Lesson period: Activity scheduled over several sessions (see Course syllabus and organization section for more detailed information).
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Depiction and Imagination in Pictures
Aim of this class is to highlight the methods and goals of a descriptive philosophy of experience. The course is divided into three parts. The first part is devoted to philosophical and psychological contemporary theories of depiction. The second part deals with those static images which ask to be described with time- and movement involving words. Ironic images are the object of the last part of the class. Ironic images seem to imply negative statements - and it seems hard to deny that negation as a logical form lies beyond the realm of depictability. Hence the concluding remarks whose goal is to clarify the relation between imagination and depiction.
Aim of this class is to highlight the methods and goals of a descriptive philosophy of experience. The course is divided into three parts. The first part is devoted to philosophical and psychological contemporary theories of depiction. The second part deals with those static images which ask to be described with time- and movement involving words. Ironic images are the object of the last part of the class. Ironic images seem to imply negative statements - and it seems hard to deny that negation as a logical form lies beyond the realm of depictability. Hence the concluding remarks whose goal is to clarify the relation between imagination and depiction.
Prerequisites for admission
Basic knowledge in Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind
Teaching methods
Lectures
Debate and discussion
Debate and discussion
Teaching Resources
Readings and assignments for attending students:
Assignments for both 6 and 9 ECTS exams:
1. Two texts among the following:
- P. Spinicci, Simile alle ombre e al sogno. Filosofia dell'immagine, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 2008;
- A. Voltolini, Immagine, Il Mulino, Bologna 2013;
- J. Kulvicky, Images, Routledge, London - New York 2014.
- E. Gombrich, Arte e illusione, Einaudi, Torino 1965
2. One text among the following:
- K. Walton, "Experiencing Still Photographs." In Marvelous Images: On Values and the Arts, Oxford University Press 2008., pp.157-192.
- J. Kulvicky, "Timeless Traces of Temporal Patterns", in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 74: 4 2016, pp. 335-346
- G. Lessing, Il Laocoonte, Aesthetica, Palermo 2007
- E. Gombrich, "Momento e movimento nell'arte" in L'Immagine e l'occhio, Einaudi, Torino, 1985, pp. 37-63
Additional assignments for 9 ECTS exam:
Two texts among the following:
-G. Currie, "The Irony in Pictures" in British Journal of Aesthetics 51 (2):149-167 (2011)
- P. Spinicci, Temporal Images: The Anamorphic Game and the Nature of Picture, in J. Pellettier, A. Voltolini, The Pleasure of Pictures : Pictorial Experience and Aesthetic Appreciation, Routledge, New York 2018, pp. 162-181.
- F. P. Gentile, Teorie dell'ironia, "Aphex", 6, 2012,
http://www.aphex.it/public/file/Content20141117_IroniaGentile.pdf.
-P. Spinicci, Le immagini dispotiche, in Verità, Immagine, normatività, A cura di P.L. Lecis e G. Lorini, Quodlibet, Macerata, 2017 (pp. 243-262).
Readings and assignments for non-attending students:
Assignments for both 6 and 9 ECTS exams:
1. Three texts among the following:
- P. Spinicci, Simile alle ombre e al sogno. Filosofia dell'immagine, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 2008;
- A. Voltolini, Immagine, Il Mulino, Bologna 2013;
- J. Kulvicky, Images, Routledge, London - New York 2014.
- E. Gombrich, Arte e illusione, Einaudi, Torino 1965
2. One text among the following:
- K. Walton, "Experiencing Still Photographs." In Marvelous Images: On Values and the Arts, Oxford University Press, 2008, pp. 157-192.
- J. Kulvicky, "Timeless Traces of Temporal Patterns", in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 74: 4 2016, pp. 335-346
- G. Lessing, Il Laocoonte, Aesthetica, Palermo 2007
- E. Gombrich, "Momento e movimento nell'arte" in L'Immagine e l'occhio, Einaudi, Torino, 1985, pp. 37-63
Additional assignments for 9 ECTS exam:
Two texts among the following:
-G. Currie, "The Irony in Pictures" in British Journal of Aesthetics 51 (2):149-167 (2011)
- P. Spinicci, Temporal Images: The Anamorphic Game and the Nature of Picture, in J. Pellettier, A. Voltolini, The Pleasure of Pictures : Pictorial Experience and Aesthetic Appreciation, Routledge, New York 2018, pp. 162-181.
- F. P. Gentile, Teorie dell'ironia, "Aphex", 6, 2012,
http://www.aphex.it/public/file/Content20141117_IroniaGentile.pdf.
-P. Spinicci, Le immagini dispotiche, in Verità, Immagine, normatività, A cura di P.L. Lecis e G. Lorini, Quodlibet, Macerata, 2017 (pp. 243-262).
Assignments for both 6 and 9 ECTS exams:
1. Two texts among the following:
- P. Spinicci, Simile alle ombre e al sogno. Filosofia dell'immagine, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 2008;
- A. Voltolini, Immagine, Il Mulino, Bologna 2013;
- J. Kulvicky, Images, Routledge, London - New York 2014.
- E. Gombrich, Arte e illusione, Einaudi, Torino 1965
2. One text among the following:
- K. Walton, "Experiencing Still Photographs." In Marvelous Images: On Values and the Arts, Oxford University Press 2008., pp.157-192.
- J. Kulvicky, "Timeless Traces of Temporal Patterns", in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 74: 4 2016, pp. 335-346
- G. Lessing, Il Laocoonte, Aesthetica, Palermo 2007
- E. Gombrich, "Momento e movimento nell'arte" in L'Immagine e l'occhio, Einaudi, Torino, 1985, pp. 37-63
Additional assignments for 9 ECTS exam:
Two texts among the following:
-G. Currie, "The Irony in Pictures" in British Journal of Aesthetics 51 (2):149-167 (2011)
- P. Spinicci, Temporal Images: The Anamorphic Game and the Nature of Picture, in J. Pellettier, A. Voltolini, The Pleasure of Pictures : Pictorial Experience and Aesthetic Appreciation, Routledge, New York 2018, pp. 162-181.
- F. P. Gentile, Teorie dell'ironia, "Aphex", 6, 2012,
http://www.aphex.it/public/file/Content20141117_IroniaGentile.pdf.
-P. Spinicci, Le immagini dispotiche, in Verità, Immagine, normatività, A cura di P.L. Lecis e G. Lorini, Quodlibet, Macerata, 2017 (pp. 243-262).
Readings and assignments for non-attending students:
Assignments for both 6 and 9 ECTS exams:
1. Three texts among the following:
- P. Spinicci, Simile alle ombre e al sogno. Filosofia dell'immagine, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 2008;
- A. Voltolini, Immagine, Il Mulino, Bologna 2013;
- J. Kulvicky, Images, Routledge, London - New York 2014.
- E. Gombrich, Arte e illusione, Einaudi, Torino 1965
2. One text among the following:
- K. Walton, "Experiencing Still Photographs." In Marvelous Images: On Values and the Arts, Oxford University Press, 2008, pp. 157-192.
- J. Kulvicky, "Timeless Traces of Temporal Patterns", in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 74: 4 2016, pp. 335-346
- G. Lessing, Il Laocoonte, Aesthetica, Palermo 2007
- E. Gombrich, "Momento e movimento nell'arte" in L'Immagine e l'occhio, Einaudi, Torino, 1985, pp. 37-63
Additional assignments for 9 ECTS exam:
Two texts among the following:
-G. Currie, "The Irony in Pictures" in British Journal of Aesthetics 51 (2):149-167 (2011)
- P. Spinicci, Temporal Images: The Anamorphic Game and the Nature of Picture, in J. Pellettier, A. Voltolini, The Pleasure of Pictures : Pictorial Experience and Aesthetic Appreciation, Routledge, New York 2018, pp. 162-181.
- F. P. Gentile, Teorie dell'ironia, "Aphex", 6, 2012,
http://www.aphex.it/public/file/Content20141117_IroniaGentile.pdf.
-P. Spinicci, Le immagini dispotiche, in Verità, Immagine, normatività, A cura di P.L. Lecis e G. Lorini, Quodlibet, Macerata, 2017 (pp. 243-262).
Assessment methods and Criteria
Both for attending and non-attending students, the final examination consists of an oral exam of about 30 minutes, divided into two parts of 15 minutes each. The first part has to test the knowledge and the understanding of the suggested readings., where the second part has to text the ability to analyze and discuss short quotes from the readings of the examination program.
Attending students can submit a short paper (about 5000 words) on topics related to the class. The clarity in the exposition and the solidity in argumentative construction will be taken in account for evaluating the paper. Essays will not receive an autonomous mark. They will be discussed during the oral examination and they will contribute to the definition of the final grade.
Evaluation criteria:
- knowledge of the theoretical aspects of the topics discusses during the course (exposition);
- ability to exemplify concepts (understanding);
- ability to apply concepts (development);
- linguistic skills
Attending students can submit a short paper (about 5000 words) on topics related to the class. The clarity in the exposition and the solidity in argumentative construction will be taken in account for evaluating the paper. Essays will not receive an autonomous mark. They will be discussed during the oral examination and they will contribute to the definition of the final grade.
Evaluation criteria:
- knowledge of the theoretical aspects of the topics discusses during the course (exposition);
- ability to exemplify concepts (understanding);
- ability to apply concepts (development);
- linguistic skills
Unita' didattica A
M-FIL/01 - THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
M-FIL/01 - THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
M-FIL/01 - THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Sometimes, theories from other disciplines turn out to be extremely important for issues which, prima facie, would seem exclusively philosophical; this class tries to clarify how this can happen, thereby introducing the students to a certain way to do philosophy. The class has two parts. In each one we will start by discussing a problem in the metaphysics of normativity and then we will turn to some ideas from outside philosophy - ideas from economics, evolutionary biology, cognitive psychology, and the affective sciences. Our goal will be to understand the importance of these ideas for the metaphysical problems in question.
Prerequisites for admission
The course does not have any prerequisite
Teaching methods
Dialogical lectures
Teaching Resources
Texts for the exam 6 CFU
- Saul Kripke, Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language, traduzione italiana Wittgenstein su regole e linguaggio privato, capitoli 2 e 3.
- Andrea Guardo, Seguire una regola, capitoli 2, 3, 4 (fino al secondo capoverso di p. 33), 5 (fino al terzo capoverso di p. 39), 6 (fino al secondo capoverso di p. 54), 7, 8 (fino al primo capoverso di p. 80), 9 (fino al primo capoverso di p. 90) e 10.
- The lectures of the first part of the course.
The students who give the exam for 9 CFU will also have to add the following material:
- Richard Joyce, The Evolution of Morality, introduction, ch. 1 e 4, § 6.1.
- Sharon Street, A Darwinian Dilemma for Realist Theories of Value, §§ 1-6, 8, 10-11.
- The lectures of the second part of the course.
- Saul Kripke, Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language, traduzione italiana Wittgenstein su regole e linguaggio privato, capitoli 2 e 3.
- Andrea Guardo, Seguire una regola, capitoli 2, 3, 4 (fino al secondo capoverso di p. 33), 5 (fino al terzo capoverso di p. 39), 6 (fino al secondo capoverso di p. 54), 7, 8 (fino al primo capoverso di p. 80), 9 (fino al primo capoverso di p. 90) e 10.
- The lectures of the first part of the course.
The students who give the exam for 9 CFU will also have to add the following material:
- Richard Joyce, The Evolution of Morality, introduction, ch. 1 e 4, § 6.1.
- Sharon Street, A Darwinian Dilemma for Realist Theories of Value, §§ 1-6, 8, 10-11.
- The lectures of the second part of the course.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam is oral and it has two parts (to be taken together); the first part consists in a series of questions about particular issues discussed in the course (usually 4 questions if one is taking the class for 6 CFU and 6 questions if one is taking the class for 9 CFU), the second section consists in a discussion of one or more excerpts from the relevant texts.
Unita' didattica A
M-FIL/01 - THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
M-FIL/01 - THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
M-FIL/01 - THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)