HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY - II

The course falls within the common core subjects of the degree course in philosophy and aims at providing students with the necessary methodological tools for a critical learning of the main historical-philosophical issues of contemporary times, also in connection with other knowledge and research fields. In particular, the teaching objectives are aimed at the acquisition of the understanding, knowledge and critical interpretation of critical interpretation of texts and issues specific to the Frankfurt School.

1) Knowledge and understanding skills, within a second-level university study context, of the themes and issues of the Frankfurt School.
2) Ability to analytically and critically analyze complex philosophical texts.
3) Proficiency in effectively communicating and discussing philosophical ideas and problems.

General knowledge of the processes and dynamics of modern and contemporary philosophical history.

Critical Theory and Intersubjectiivty
The course aims to provide a historical-conceptual investigation of the Frankfurt School: by presenting the thought of individual authors, we will reconstruct their respective theories of intersubjectivity. The idea of a self-centered subject, transparent to itself, and, in its isolation, bearer of autonomy has gradually evaporated throughout the twentieth century. The subject has proven to be constituted, layered, plural, just as plural are the relationships that inhabit it. In various fields of the sciences, the paradigm shift has been aided, explicitly or implicitly, by the theory of intersubjectivity. Critical Theory of society – explicitly starting with Habermas – has embraced intersubjectivity as a true resource to analyze and denounce social practices, normative measures, moral precepts that, in one way or another, misconstrue the relational "nature" of the subject.
In the Frankfurt School, a latent ambiguity persists: intersubjectivity is either impossible in the "falsches Leben" or a simple relation-between-subjects. In the conclusion of the course, we will try to show a possible alternative starting from Hegel. Hegel's is a "critical" theory of intersubjectivity in a dual sense: on the one hand, it criticizes the conception of the monadic and self-constituted subject; on the other hand, it criticizes the immediate conception of intersubjectivity as a relation-between-subjects.

Texts for the examination:
1) One Text among the following book
a) Max Horkheimer, Eclisse della ragione, a cura di E.V. Spagnol, Einaudi, 2000 (pages 11-139).
b) Theodor W. Adorno, La crisi dell’individuo, a cura di I. Testa, Diabasis, 2010 (pages 31-156).
c) Herbert Marcuse, Saggio sulla liberazione, a cura di L. Lamberti, Einaudi, 1969.
d) Jürgen Habermas, La condizione intersoggettiva, a cura di M. Carpitella, Laterza, 2007 (chapters II-III).
e) Axel Honneth, La libertà negli altri, a cura di B. Carnevali, il Mulino, 2017 (chapters I, VIII, XI, X, XI).

2) Anthology of texts on Moodle

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Recommended readings (especially for non-attending students) for a general overview of the Frankfurt School:
Giorgio Fazio, Ritorno a Francoforte, Castelvecchi, 2020.
Stuart Jeffries, Grand Hotel Abisso, trad. it. B. Amato, EDT, 2023.

The evaluation will be based on a oral exam. The exam will last approximately 30 minutes. The student schould:
1) demonstrate knowledge of the authors of the Frankfurt School;
2) show interpretative and analytical skills regarding the philosophical texts included in the anthology;
3) present clearly and substantively the contents of the selected text.

Lecture and critical analysis of texts. Active participation of students is encouraged

Italian

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development