CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHY

The course aims to provide 1) a general introduction to some basic concepts of classical philosophy; 2) a deep knowledge of ancient psychological theories with a particular focus on Aistotle's theory of the soul; 3) the capacity of contextualizing and interpreting philosophical works trough a close reading of the text; of discussing philosophical questions and arguing for their possible solutions; 4) the acquisition of conceptual and lexical tools; 5) the ability to expound in an efficacious way what has been learnt during the course .

At the end of the course students should 1) demonstrate knowledge and understanding of some fundamental notions of classical philosophy and of Aristotle's philosophy; 2) contextualize ancient psychological theories both in their time and in the exegetical and contemporary debate; 3) be able to critically and independently analyze a philosophical text.

There are no prerequisites for the attendance of the course.

The course will be divided into due parts: introduction to ancient psychological theories; introduction to Aristotle's theory of the soul. We will wholly read a classic of philosophy – Aristotle’s "On the Soul" (de Anima) – in order to become familiar with philosophical language and arguments. This text will be the starting-point to reflect on three themes: 1) ancient psychological theories, 2) the mind-body problem and personal identity, 3) nature and methods of knowledge.

Sources: C. Shields (ed.), Aristotele, De Anima, OUP 2016; RD Hicks (ed.), Aristoteles, De Anima, CUP

Studies: M.C. Nussbaum and A.O. Rorty (eds.), Essays on Aristotle's De Anima, Oxford, Clarendon Press 1995 (seconda ed; prima 1992)
P. Gregoric e JL Fink (a cura di), Encounters with Aristotelian Philosophy of Mind, Routledge 2021

Altre risorse saranno caricate in moodle.

Other resources will be uploaded on Moodle platform.

The evaluation will be based on (a) a short essay submitted during the course (50% of the final grade) and (b) a written exam with open questions that will ascertain knowledge of ancient theories of the soul and Aristotelian psychology (50% of the final grade). Further information will be provided in class.

Regarding the grading, it will be on a scale ranging from 0 to 30. The minimum passing grade is 18. Honors ("lode") will be granted only for exceptional capacity of judgment and excellent knowledge of the topics under evaluation.

Lectures;
Analysis and open discussion of philosophical texts;
Assignments.

English

Materials will be available in Moodle.

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion

Ca' Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Acc
Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development