HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL LOGIC AND SEMANTICS

This course sits well within the more general framework of history of philosophy. But it is also apt for students who wish to deepen their knowledge of logic and semantics. Each year, we shall investigate a major theme of logic, semantics or metaphysics in the writings of some important medieval authors. This year, we will discuss the issue: “individuals and universals”, with special reference to Porphyry, Boethius, Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), Abelard and Gilbert of Poitiers. The approach is both historical and analytical.

By the end of the course, students are expected to have in-depth knowledge of the theme under analysis. They will have acquired skills for understanding medieval philosophical texts, both historically and analytically.

No previous knowledge is formally required. Some knowledge of the history of medieval philosophy, and previous analysis of some logical or metaphysical texts can be helpful. Knowledge of Latin can help access many original texts directly but is in no way obligatory. It is also recommended to have some familiarity with academic English for reading some secondary literature.

“Individuals and universals”. In the Middle Ages, Porphyry's Isagoge was the cornerstone of logic (or the art of dialectics). Porphyry’s remarks on genus, species and individuals constituted an introduction to the most advanced logical investigations and, moreover, they bridged between ancient philosophical systems and purely medieval thought on the one hand, and between logic and metaphysics on the other. Around the themes discussed in that text, a lively philosophical debate begun, which lasted for many centuries and had a notable impact on metaphysics, anthropology and theology. A journey through the most significant moments of that debate is proposed here, with readings from Porphyry, Boethius, Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna). Abelard, and Gilbert of Poitiers. The course will highlight the most debated points and controversies, and their impact on various fields of logic and philosophy.

LETTERATURA PRIMARIA:
Porfirio, Isagoge (traduzione italiana di G. Girgenti e inglese di J.Barnes, Introduction, Oxford 2002, insieme al suo commento)
Antologia di passi da:
Boezio, Secondo commento all'Isagoge (selezione: I, 10-11)
Pietro Abelardo, Logica 'Ingredientibus' (selezione: pp. 1-32).
Gilberto di Poitiers, Trattati teologici (selezione)
Avicenna, Metafisica (selezione dal V trattato, nella traduzione di Olga Lizzini).
I passi di Boezio, Abelardo, Gilberto e Avicenna, con traduzione italiana, saranno forniti sulla piattaforma Moodle.

LETTERATURA SECONDARIA:
Magdalena Bieniak, “Individuals as Wholes. Gilbert of Poitiers’s Theory of Individuality”, in Mereology in Medieval Logic and Metaphysics. Proceedings of the 21st European Symposium of Medieval Logic and Semantics, ed. F. Amerini, I. Binini, M. Mugnai, Pisa 2019, pp. 193-226.
Gabriele Galluzzo, Breve storia dell'Ontologia, Carocci editore, Roma 2011, pp. 55-114 (capitolo 2: "Gli universali").
Jorge J.E. Gracia, Introduction to the Problem of Individuation in the Early Middle Ages, Washington, CUA 1984.
Alain de Libera, La querelle des Universaux. De Platon à la fin du Moyen Age, seconda edizione, Paris 2014, capitolo 1; si può utilizzare anche la prima edizione, o anche la traduzione italiana a cura di Riccardo Chiaradonna: "Il problema degli universali. Da Platone alla fine del Medioevo”, La Nuova Italia, Firenze 1999, capitolo 1.
John Marenbon, "Abelard's Theory of Universals" in Nominalism about Properties. New essays, ed. Ghislain Guigon and Gonzalo Rodriguez-Pereyra, London and New York, Routledge 2015, pp. 38-62, oppure: John Marenbon, The Philosophy of Peter Abelard, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1997, pp. 174-201 (Capitolo 8, "Universals")
Pasquale Porro, “L'animale universale. Quattro considerazioni, tre esistenze, due astrazioni”, in J.-B. Brenet/ L. Cesalli (textes réunis sous la direction de), Sujet libre. Pour Alain de Libera, Paris, Vrin, 2018, pp. 265-269.
Luisa Valente, Concreti e dividui. Il lessico filosofico di Gilberto di Poitiers, Roma 2022.

Exam written.
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A general introduction, followed by analysis of relevant texts, and discussion of their interpretation.

Italian

written