ORIGINS OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

The course is centered on the archaic origin(s) of Western philosophy, focusing on the so-called "Presocratic" thinkers, also in consideration of the "East" as a historiographical category and in consideration of the philosophical legacy that those beginnings have left.

1. Textually-informed knowledge of the archaic origins of Western philosophy and understanding of the "Eastern" side of that matter as recovered in the historiographical narrative.
2. Acquisition of specific key-words, technical vocabulary and fundamental philosophical concepts of the archaic period. 3. Basic philological awareness in the analysis of ancient texts, whose nature is fragmentary and/or reported. 4. Acquaintance with the main "Presocratic" thinkers’ tenets, their most important views, the extant testimonies and the available doxographic tradition in their regard. 5. Capacity to develop an overall theoretical understanding of the history of Presocratic philosophy that must also be historiographically and philologically informed. 6. The ability to formulate reasoned arguments and communicate ideas about the beginnings of Western philosophy.

Basic understanding of ancient Greek would be recommended, but not necessary.

The course covers the history of the so-called "Presocratic" philosophy, from the Milesians to the Sophists. Particular attention will be dedicated to the historiographical idea of the "origin(s)" of philosophy and to the relation between Eastern and Western forms of archaic wisdom.

– Maria Michela Sassi, The Beginnings of Philosophy in Greece, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2018.
– Daniel W. Graham (ed., tr.), The Texts of Early Greek Philosophy: The Complete Fragments and Selected Testimonies of the Major Presocratics, 2 vols., Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010 (selections).
– M. Laura Gemelli Marciano, "East and West", in Ancient Philosophy: Textual Paths and Historical Explorations, eds. Lorenzo Perilli and Daniela P. Taormina, London-NY: Routledge, 2018, pp. 1-40.

The final exam is an oral exam aimed to evaluate the student's ability to understand and interpret ancient "Presocratic" fragments and testimonies in consideration of established scholarship on the topic.

The taught course is based on lectures whose content consists in reading and analyzing selected primary sources.

English

Further bibliographical material will be discussed and/or suggested in the course of the lectures.

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