Origins of Western Philosophy

The course is centered on the archaic origin(s) of Western philosophy, focusing on the so-called "Presocratic" thinkers, also in consideration of the "East" as a historiographical category and in consideration of the philosophical legacy that those beginnings have left.

1. Textually-informed knowledge of the archaic origins of Western philosophy and understanding of the "Eastern" side of that matter as recovered in the historiographical narrative.
2. Acquisition of specific key-words, technical vocabulary and fundamental philosophical concepts of the archaic period. 3. Basic philological awareness in the analysis of ancient texts, whose nature is fragmentary and/or reported. 4. Acquaintance with the main "Presocratic" thinkers' tenets, their most important views, the extant testimonies and the available doxographic tradition in their regard. 5. Capacity to develop an overall theoretical understanding of the history of Presocratic philosophy that must also be historiographically and philologically informed. 6. The ability to formulate reasoned arguments and communicate ideas about the beginnings of Western philosophy.