History of Political Philosophy
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The course aims to provide students with a solid basic knowledge of the history of political philosophy. Students will acquire skills in textual and conceptual analysis. They will be able to place the classics of political philosophy in their philosophical, linguistic and historical contexts. They will also be able to deal with the main historiographical interpretations, showing thereby that they have acquired good hermeneutic competences.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- understand the concepts and lines of argument used by classical authors;
- make use of a reasonable knowledge of the fundamental aspects of the history of Western political philosophy from antiquity to the present day (with special focus on the classics);
- know the fundamental lexicon of political philosophy in its historical development;
- explain the links between the history of political philosophy and its historical context;
- master the basic methodological tools of the research in history political philosophy.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- apply the understanding of concepts and argumentative forms to the analysis of complex texts written by political philosophers;
- apply the knowledge acquired studying specific texts and authors to the historical understanding and philosophical contextualization of other works and thinkers;
- apply the political-philosophical lexicon to the analysis and discussion of contemporary problems;
- apply the understanding of the historical relationships between political thought and other forms of knowledge to the analysis and discussion of texts and problems;
- make use of basic methodological tools and bibliographic resources to the preparation of a scientific paper in the political-philosophical domain.
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- understand the concepts and lines of argument used by classical authors;
- make use of a reasonable knowledge of the fundamental aspects of the history of Western political philosophy from antiquity to the present day (with special focus on the classics);
- know the fundamental lexicon of political philosophy in its historical development;
- explain the links between the history of political philosophy and its historical context;
- master the basic methodological tools of the research in history political philosophy.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- apply the understanding of concepts and argumentative forms to the analysis of complex texts written by political philosophers;
- apply the knowledge acquired studying specific texts and authors to the historical understanding and philosophical contextualization of other works and thinkers;
- apply the political-philosophical lexicon to the analysis and discussion of contemporary problems;
- apply the understanding of the historical relationships between political thought and other forms of knowledge to the analysis and discussion of texts and problems;
- make use of basic methodological tools and bibliographic resources to the preparation of a scientific paper in the political-philosophical domain.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Course title:
War and Peace in Twentieth-Century Philosophical Thought
The aim of the course is to carefully reconstruct some philosophical debates on the problem of war and peace that took place during the 20th century. After a general introduction to the different philosophical perspectives from which the problems of war and peace can be addressed, and to some key concepts necessary for discussing them (e.g., those of legitimacy and legality), the lessons will begin with a comprehensive analysis of the debates following the First World War, involving thinkers such as Hans Kelsen and Carl Schmitt, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Einstein.
The discontinuity represented by the use of nuclear weapons in the final days of World War II, and thus the possibility of a generalized atomic war, will be analyzed from multiple points of view, with reference to important texts by Günther Anders, Karl Jaspers, Gertrude E.M. Anscombe, and Bertrand Russell, among others.
In the final lessons of the course, we will first illustrate some of the theses supported by thinkers of the 20th-century pacifist tradition (such as Mahatma Gandhi, Andrea Caffi, and Aldo Capitini). We will then proceed, on the one hand, to examine the revival of the theory of just war in the Anglo-Saxon world thanks to the writings of Michael Walzer and John Rawls and, on the other hand, to critically analyze the philosophical re-legitimization of war that has taken place in recent decades with the theorization of so-called "humanitarian interventions."
War and Peace in Twentieth-Century Philosophical Thought
The aim of the course is to carefully reconstruct some philosophical debates on the problem of war and peace that took place during the 20th century. After a general introduction to the different philosophical perspectives from which the problems of war and peace can be addressed, and to some key concepts necessary for discussing them (e.g., those of legitimacy and legality), the lessons will begin with a comprehensive analysis of the debates following the First World War, involving thinkers such as Hans Kelsen and Carl Schmitt, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Einstein.
The discontinuity represented by the use of nuclear weapons in the final days of World War II, and thus the possibility of a generalized atomic war, will be analyzed from multiple points of view, with reference to important texts by Günther Anders, Karl Jaspers, Gertrude E.M. Anscombe, and Bertrand Russell, among others.
In the final lessons of the course, we will first illustrate some of the theses supported by thinkers of the 20th-century pacifist tradition (such as Mahatma Gandhi, Andrea Caffi, and Aldo Capitini). We will then proceed, on the one hand, to examine the revival of the theory of just war in the Anglo-Saxon world thanks to the writings of Michael Walzer and John Rawls and, on the other hand, to critically analyze the philosophical re-legitimization of war that has taken place in recent decades with the theorization of so-called "humanitarian interventions."
Prerequisites for admission
No prerequisites are required.
Teaching methods
Lectures, followed by discussions with students.
Teaching Resources
Exam program for attending and non-attending students
Readings and assignments for both 6 and 9 ECTS exams:
Compulsory Texts:
Stefano Petrucciani, Modelli di filosofia politica, Torino, Einaudi, 2003;
Norberto Bobbio, Il problema della guerra e le vie della pace, Bologna, il Mulino, 2009.
Günther Anders, L'uomo sul ponte. Diario da Hiroshima e Nagasaki e Tesi sull'età atomica, prefazione di Norberto Bobbio, Introduzione di Micaela Latini, Milano, Mimesis, 2024.
Choose two of the following texts:
Sigmund Freud - Albert Einstein, Perché la guerra ?, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1997;
Karl Jaspers, La bomba atomica e il destino dell'uomo, Milano, PGRECO edizioni, 2013;
Carl Schmitt, Il concetto di 'politico', in Carl Schmitt, Le categorie del 'politico', Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014, unitamente a Carl Schmitt, Teoria del partigiano. Integrazione al concetto del politico, Milano, Adelphi, 2005;
Hans Kelsen, La pace attraverso il diritto, a cura di L. Ciaurro, Torino, Giappichelli, 1990.
Additional part for the 9 CFU program:
- Michael Walzer, Guerre giuste e ingiuste. Un discorso morale con esemplificazioni storiche, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2009;
- A selection of classical texts by Mahatma Gandhi, Andrea Caffi, Aldo Capitini uploaded by the instructor to the course's ARIEL site
General notices:
The study of the prefaces and introductions to the reported editions, and the lecture materials distributed in class, is an integral part of exam preparation.
Students iterating the exam are required to make contact with the professor to arrange necessary changes to the exam syllabus.
The professor is available to agree on partial changes to the syllabus in response to justified requests made by students during office hours.
Examination arrangements for students with disabilities and/or with DSA must be agreed with the professor in consultation with the appropriate office.
The course syllabus may be subject to minor variations, also depending on the commercial availability of some texts. The final version of the syllabus will be uploaded to the course teaching website before the start of classes at the beginning of the second semester.
Readings and assignments for both 6 and 9 ECTS exams:
Compulsory Texts:
Stefano Petrucciani, Modelli di filosofia politica, Torino, Einaudi, 2003;
Norberto Bobbio, Il problema della guerra e le vie della pace, Bologna, il Mulino, 2009.
Günther Anders, L'uomo sul ponte. Diario da Hiroshima e Nagasaki e Tesi sull'età atomica, prefazione di Norberto Bobbio, Introduzione di Micaela Latini, Milano, Mimesis, 2024.
Choose two of the following texts:
Sigmund Freud - Albert Einstein, Perché la guerra ?, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1997;
Karl Jaspers, La bomba atomica e il destino dell'uomo, Milano, PGRECO edizioni, 2013;
Carl Schmitt, Il concetto di 'politico', in Carl Schmitt, Le categorie del 'politico', Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014, unitamente a Carl Schmitt, Teoria del partigiano. Integrazione al concetto del politico, Milano, Adelphi, 2005;
Hans Kelsen, La pace attraverso il diritto, a cura di L. Ciaurro, Torino, Giappichelli, 1990.
Additional part for the 9 CFU program:
- Michael Walzer, Guerre giuste e ingiuste. Un discorso morale con esemplificazioni storiche, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2009;
- A selection of classical texts by Mahatma Gandhi, Andrea Caffi, Aldo Capitini uploaded by the instructor to the course's ARIEL site
General notices:
The study of the prefaces and introductions to the reported editions, and the lecture materials distributed in class, is an integral part of exam preparation.
Students iterating the exam are required to make contact with the professor to arrange necessary changes to the exam syllabus.
The professor is available to agree on partial changes to the syllabus in response to justified requests made by students during office hours.
Examination arrangements for students with disabilities and/or with DSA must be agreed with the professor in consultation with the appropriate office.
The course syllabus may be subject to minor variations, also depending on the commercial availability of some texts. The final version of the syllabus will be uploaded to the course teaching website before the start of classes at the beginning of the second semester.
Assessment methods and Criteria
At the end of the course the student will have to pass an oral test, divided into two parts, to be passed in the same roll call. In a first moment, devoted to institutional preparation, knowledge of the basic outlines of the history of political philosophy will be tested. In a second moment, devoted to the specific topic of the monographic course, the interview will be aimed at ascertaining both the punctual knowledge of the texts in the program and the ability to enucleate the main philosophical-political problems addressed in them and to compare alternative philosophical-political theses. The student, or student, should be able to reconstruct the conceptual structure of the texts analyzed and the argumentative strategies followed in them. The texts in the syllabus are to be brought with them at the time of the oral examination: the interview may begin by reading and commenting on some significant passages from a philosophical work that has been presented in the course lectures.
During the tests, the following will be assessed:
- the level of knowledge of the history of political philosophy and political theory (exposition);
- the ability to analyze concepts (comprehension);
- the autonomy of judgment and ability to apply concepts (development);
- communication skills and adequacy of language.
During the tests, the following will be assessed:
- the level of knowledge of the history of political philosophy and political theory (exposition);
- the ability to analyze concepts (comprehension);
- the autonomy of judgment and ability to apply concepts (development);
- communication skills and adequacy of language.
Modules or teaching units
Parte A e B
SPS/02 - HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Parte C
SPS/02 - HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)