POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY II

The course aims to provide, within the range of philosophical skills specific to a three-year degree, a more in-depth view of the history of political doctrines, obtained through the study of texts and the clarification of major historiographical and interpretative issues, relating each time to an author or a theme.

Studenti e studentesse dovranno essere in grado di riconoscere la specificità di un testo e di un autore della tradizione politica, nel loro contesto concettuale proprio, di comprenderne le poste in gioco storiografiche e interpretative.

You need to have a good general knowledge and have studied history and philosophy at secondary school level.

The Question of Intellectuals in Contemporary Political Thought
The course explores the role of intellectuals in contemporary political thought. After a historical and philosophical introduction to the topic, it examines various theoretical perspectives: Weber’s reflection on science as a profession in an age of specialized knowledge; Benda’s view of the intellectual as an ethical guide and custodian of universal values; Gramsci’s theory of the organic intellectual, both specialist and political actor; Hofstadter’s analysis of anti-intellectualism in American culture; and Foucault and Deleuze’s opposition of the universal intellectual to the specific intellectual, situated within power relations.

Exam texts:
Max Weber, La scienza come professione (1917), traduzione di Pietro Rossi in Id., Il lavoro intellettuale come professione, a cura e con un'introduzione di Massimo Cacciari, Mondadori, Milano 2018;
Julien Benda, Il tradimento dei chierici (1927), traduzione di Sandra Teroni Menzella, prefazione di Davide Cadeddu, Einaudi, Torino 2012;
Antonio Gramsci, Quaderni del carcere (1929-1935), edizione critica dell'Istituto Gramsci a cura di Valentino Gerratana, Einaudi, Torino 1975 (parti selezionate);
Richard Hofstadter, L’odio per gli intellettuali in America (1963), traduzione di Piero Bernardini Marzolla, revisione di Valerio Cianci, prefazione di Tom Nichols, introduzione di Sergio Fabbrini, Luiss University Press, Roma 2024 (parti selezionate);
Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, Gl'intellettuali e il potere. Conversazione (1972), in Michel Foucault, Microfisica del potere. Interventi politici, a cura di Alessandro Fontana e Pasquale Pasquino, Einaudi, Torino 1977.

The exam will focus on the comprehension of the texts discussed during the lessons and the preparation of the fundamentals of political philosophy, with reference to the manual indicated in the exam programme.

oral

The final grade, expressed on a scale of thirty, is based on an oral exam designed to assess content knowledge, analytical skills, and clarity of expression. A score of 30 with honors indicates excellent preparation, full command of concepts, critical thinking, and independent elaboration. Scores between 28 and 30 reflect solid and well-structured knowledge with clear and appropriate expression. A result between 25 and 27 shows good preparation with some uncertainties. Scores between 21 and 24 indicate partial understanding and difficulties in expression. Grades between 18 and 20 correspond to the minimum acceptable level of preparation. A failing grade is assigned in cases of significant gaps in knowledge or inability to coherently complete the exam.

The course will be held in the form of a traditional lesson, but we will encourage the active participation of students.