Topics and Problems in Early Modern Philosophy

Students will acquire in-depth knowledge and skills in the history of philosophy and philosophical historiography with regard to the themes and problems of modern thought (15th-18th centuries).
The course provides students with the theoretical, methodological, and critical tools specific to the history of modern philosophy, together with a solid general knowledge of the historical evolution of modern philosophical thought. In keeping with the typically interdisciplinary nature of philosophical research, the course also provides students with the opportunity to acquire adequate historical, linguistic, and philological training in relation to modern philosophical texts.
The analysis of a central theme of cultural reflection during the 15th-18th centuries will allow students to develop an in-depth knowledge of the various phases of the modern philosophical tradition and the intersections between metaphysical, political, philological, theological, and moral perspectives.

Students will acquire the ability to:
- critically analyze arguments, applying the knowledge acquired on the historical development of argumentative forms, concepts, and traditions of thought during early modernity to the analysis of new textual and theoretical problems.
- discuss and compare different historiographical interpretations of philosophical texts and, more generally, overall philosophical positions, understanding the diversity of interpretations to which texts are subjected in different chronological, cultural, and linguistic contexts within the modern tradition.
- reflect on complex and articulated philosophical positions with a systematic and in-depth knowledge of the history of modern philosophy, based on the reading of some classics of modern thought and the study of secondary literature.
- take their own position in a philosophical debate applying reasoning skills to philosophical theses interpreted in their historical dimension, making advanced and appropriate use of the knowledge acquired on the lexicon of modern philosophy, with philological awareness.
- to communicate the results of their research effectively, including through multimedia techniques for representing information, with possible applications to teaching, demonstrating their ability to apply with mastery the methodological resources and bibliographic tools of historical-philosophical research in the field of modern philosophy.
- use relational, communicative, and organizational skills even in highly complex contexts and in the management of group work, updating, where possible, the themes and argumentative strategies of the authors studied.
- to transfer the skills acquired to non-specialist contexts, demonstrating an ability to produce original research, discuss the results obtained, and present the knowledge learned to others.
- to reflect on their own abilities and the assessments obtained, critically applying the knowledge learned in the historical context of modern authors and texts.
- independently research the philosophical sources of a debate or school of thought by approaching the authors of early modernity in a philologically sound manner.
- independently explore a philosophical position or theoretical thesis by confidently understanding the historical and theoretical significance of modern texts (including in their original language) and the transformation of traditions, concepts, and forms of argumentation over time.