Medieval Jewish Philosophy

Students will gain in-depth knowledge and skills in the history of philosophy and philosophical historiography, with particular focus on medieval Jewish thought.
Furthermore, the course seeks to promote a perspective on the history of philosophy that includes knowledge transmitted in languages other than Latin. Such knowledge, conveyed through the movement of translations, played a significant role in the dissemination of philosophy and science across Europe and should therefore be considered an integral part of the history of Western philosophy.

By the end of the course, students will have acquired:
- the ability to critically analyze arguments presented in classical philosophical texts;
- the ability to discuss and compare different historiographical interpretations of philosophical texts and, more broadly, of comprehensive philosophical positions;
- the ability to orient themselves historically and conceptually within the main currents of medieval Jewish philosophy;
- mastery of philosophical terminology through the direct reading of texts;
- competence in understanding the development of philosophical thought across different cultures and languages;
- the ability to present the main problems and themes of medieval Jewish philosophy, and to introduce major authors and their works;
- the ability to reconstruct the essential lines of the transmission of knowledge, from Greek philosophy and science to Arabic philosophy, and from there to medieval Jewish and Latin thought;
- the ability to reflect on complex and structured philosophical positions;
- the ability to take their own position on philosophical theses interpreted within their historical context and put forward arguments in support of it;
- effectively communicate the results of their research, also through multimedia tools for presenting information, with potential applications in teaching;
- use relational, communication, and organizational skills even in highly complex contexts and in group work management;
- convey the acquired skills also in non-specialist contexts;
- present orally in an organized manner what they have learned;
- the ability to reflect on their own abilities and on the assessments received;
- the ability to independently research the philosophical sources of a debate or school of thought;
- the ability to independently explore a philosophical position or theoretical thesis;
- the ability to navigate methodological tools for historiographical research.