PHILOSOPHY OF MIND

The course explores models of the mind developed in the 20th century across disciplines such as philosophy, neurology, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and artificial intelligence. It shows how contemporary philosophy of mind, in comparison to previous centuries, does not take as its starting point normal states of mind but abnormal, altered and eccentric ones, such as pathologies, traumas, hallucinations and simulations in out-of-body technological apparatuses. In this genealogy, the course does not pursue the Gedankenexperimenten of analytic philosophy, but identifies a clinical and experimental context in the mid-20th century at the intersection of German idealism, holistic neurology, institutional psychotherapy and French philosophy. The course focuses on the development of a complex neuroplasticity paradigm ranging from Kurt Goldstein's studies of catastrophic brain reactions to Thomas Metzinger's Phenomenal Model of the Self. The paradigm of neuroplasticity, however, is not presented in the abstract, but as was already the case in the debates of post-war French philosophy, discussed in terms of its social and political implications. Indeed, following the lesson of the historical epistemology of science, it can be argued that every model of mental order (and disorder) implies a model of social order (and disorder). In this perspective, the paradigms of neuroplasticity should be explored against the background of the theories and practices of psychotherapy that animated the philosophical and political debates of the last century.

At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the main contemporary theories of the mind and their socio-political implications in psychotherapy and laboratory practices.

No specific knowledge of the topics under investigation is expected.

1. Introduction to contemporary philosophy of mind.
2. The organicist neurology of Kurt Goldstein.
3. The neurophilosophy of Thomas Metzinger.
4. The cultural-historical psychology of Lev Vygotsky.

1. Maiese, Michelle, and Robert Hanna. The Mind-Body Politic. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019.
2. Goldstein, Kurt. Human Nature in the Light of Psychopathology. Harvard University Press, 1940. Oppure: Goldstein, Kurt. Il concetto di salute e altri scritti. Pisa: ETS, 2007.
3. Metzinger, Thomas. The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self. New York: Basic Books, 2009. Trad. italiana: Il tunnel dell’io: scienza della mente e mito del soggetto. Milano: Raffaello Cortina, 2010.
4. Vygotskij, Lev. La mente umana. Milano: Feltrinelli, 2022. / Pensiero e linguaggio. Bari: Laterza, 2015.
5. Robcis, Camille. Disalienation: Politics, Philosophy, and Radical Psychiatry in Postwar France. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2021.

L’esame orale si compone di tre parti. Nella prima parte viene verificata la conoscenza dei temi e dei concetti principali del corso che sono riassunti nelle slide presentate ad ogni lezione. Per la seconda parte è necessario preparare ed esporre i volumi principali tra quelli discussi durante il corso previo accordo con il docente. Nella terza parte, verrà richiesto di esporre un punto di vista critico e personale sui paradigmi analizzati nel corso.

oral

Grading will follow the department's guidelines.

Lectures, class discussions, student presentations, possible seminars with invited speakers.

Italian

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