What is knowledge? can we justify our beliefs, and how? It a reality independent form the subject exists, can we know it, and to what extent? What have been the main contributions on these arguments by classical and contemporary philosophers? How can epistemic logics help us to solve the problems of our conceptions of knowledge? Which canons of rationality can we follow as guidance in our practical decisions?

While discussing these arguments the course will provide a brief general introduction to the philosophy of knowledge and rationality

This work will help students to improve their logico-analytic and dialectic abilities, their philosophical sensibility, and the mastership of concepts and contents from the history of philosophy they have acquired in their bachelor program.

There are no pre-requisites for this course, but because of the rather abstract and rigorous character of its topics, it is advisable to attend classes regularly and actively, since the very beginning. Those unable to attend classes can study on their own the texts listed in the section below for "NON FREQUENTANTI", but this will require careful work and a good attitude to autonomous learning, analysis and abstract thought.

In order to offer an opportunity of CLIL (content and language integrated learning), and also as a form of support for non Italian students, the teacher will propose to devote some classes to readings and comments in English. Non Italian students will also be allowed to use English (or French or Spanish) for all their required readings, questions and comments in the classroom, and the final exam.

(A) The research in epistemology from the Classics to now: knowledge, its sources, its kinds. Plato and the rationalists. Aristotle. Modern empiricism. Kant. Idealism. Contemporary empiricism. Constructivism. Gnoseological realism. Scientific realism. 

(B) Theory of knowldge (lectures given by doct. Angelucci): knowledge as true justified belief; the nature of belief, truth and justification; foundationalism and coherentism; gettier's paradox and its possible solutions. 

(C) The sceptical challenge: possible strategies for meeting it; reflexive equilibrium; principle of charity; transcendentalism. 

(D) Modelling lknowledge: formal approaches to the problems of knowledge and elements of modal and epistemic logics (lectures given by doct. Tagliaferri).

(E) Basic elements of decision theory and theory of social choices

There are no strict pre-requisites for this course, but the parts on philosophy of knowledge of a high school handbook of history of philosophy might provide a useful background

Knowledge and understanding:

After the course students should be able to understand and explain philosophical texts of medium difficulty, discuss some of the classical problems in philosophy of knowledge, epistemology and metaphysics, use the bibliographical tools and repertories available in this field, know some of the state of the art questions on scientific realism. ---

 Applying knowledge and understanding:

After the course students should be able to discuss and evaluate various claims and arguments both in the specialistic debate and in the general contemporary cultural debate.--

 Making judgements:

After the course students should be able to make autonomous and original judgements about the arguments in the debate and  the examples drawn from both ordinary and scientific knowledge. To this end discussions in the classroom will be encouraged. Originality and autonomous judgement will be part of the final evalution of the student's performance. ---

 Communication skills: 

After the course students should be able to explain and discuss the relevant topics with conceptual and linguistic exactness, and to offer efficacious  and synthetic accounts of the subject matter. To this end, verbal interaction in the classroom and a careful reading and analysis of the relevant texts will be encouraged. ---

 Learning skills: 

After the course students should be acquainted with the subject matter and the method of research enough to be able to proceed on their own  in gathering further knowledge from the literature in the field and in contiguous fields. To this end they should also improve their ability to read English texts in the field.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

The materials available for the course, all communications from the teacher, and any other further actvities can be found on the web platform Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Classroom lectures offering general frameworks, analyses of particular topics, and comments to the relevant literature. Before, during and after the lecture questions, comments and discussions by the students are encouraged. Of course personal study at home will be equally important

Attendance

Students should attend classes regularly and actively, since the very beginning. Because of the analytic and often abstract character of the subject matter, active participation in classroom discussion will be very useful. In order to do that, and in general to follow the lectures successfully, it is strongly advised to do every day the homework suggested as preparation for the following lecture

Course books

(A) The research in epistemology from the Classics to now:

1. Platone, Teeteto 163-165, XVIII-XX; 184b-187b, XXIX-XXX; 200D-2001D, XXXVIII; 206c-210a, XLII-XLIV. --- 

2. Platone, Menone (97d-98b, XXXIX). --- 

3. Galileo, dal Saggiatore: il calore e le proprietà soggettive. --- 

4. Cartesio, Meditazioni metafisiche I, II, IV (pp. 228-229). --- 

5. Cartesio, Discorso sul metodo IV (pp. 154-159). --- 

6. Berkeley, da: Trattato sui princìpi della conoscenza umana (pp. 450-453) --- 

7. Berkeley, da: Dialoghi tra Hylas e Philonous I §§ 1-8 (pp. 453-461) --- 

8. Kant, Critica della Ragion Pura, B xx, 59-60. --- 

9. Duhem, passi da La teoria fisica, il suo oggetto e la sua struttura. --- 

10. Carnap, Pseudoproblemi nella filosofia, § 9-10. --- 

11. B. Russell, The Problems of Philosophy, capitoli 1, 2. --- 

12. K. Popper, Logica della scoperta scientifica cap. I, §§ 1-6, cap. V. --- 

13. W.V. Quine, “Due dogmi dell’empirismo”, § 6  (in Quine, Da un punto di vista logico, Raffaello Cortina, o in Filosofia del Linguaggio, a cura di Casalegno e altri, Raffaello Cortina). --- 

14. W.V. Quine: “Posizioni e realtà”, in I modi del Paradosso, Il Saggiatore, 1975, pp. 304-312. --- 

15. N. Goodman, Fatti, ipotesi e previsioni, Laterza, pp. 84-86, 92-93. --- 

16. J.L. Austin, Senso e sensibilia,  pp. 31-33, 42-43, 112-113. --- 

17. T. Kuhn La struttura delle rivoluzioni scientifiche, Cap. 10 (139-41, 144-5, 147-50, 151, 153-156). --- 

18. M. Alai,   “Realismo, idealismo e agnosticismo. Una prospettiva epistemologica”, Hermeneutica (Nuova Serie) 2014, pp. 109-126. --- 

(B) Theory of knowledge and  (C) The sceptical challenge:

19. E. Gettier, “La credenza vera e giustificata è conoscenza?”, in vol. n. 20 or in A. Bottani, C. Penco (cur.) Significato e teorie del linguaggio, Franco Angeli 1991. --- 

20. C. Calabi, A. Coliva, A. Sereni, G. Volpe (eds.) Teorie della conoscenza, Cortina 2015. --- 

21. N. Vassallo, Teoria della conoscenza, Laterza 2003. --- 

22. A. Musgrave, Senso comune, scienza, scetticismo, Cortina Editore 1995. --- 

23. A. Pagnini, Teoria della conoscenza, TEA, 1997 (anche in P. Rossi (cur.), La filosofia UTET, 1995, vol. III, pp. 109-185). --- 

24. M. Alai,   “Conoscenza, verità, giustificazione epistemica”, in La certezza della verità. Il sistema della logica aletica e il procedimento della giustificazione epistemica (Sensus Communis. International Yearbook for Studies on Alethic Logic, 18), ed. by A. Livi, Editrice Leonardo da Vinci, Roma 2013, pp. 31-46. --- 

25. M. Alai,   “Σώζειν τά φαινόμενα. Realistic and Antirealistic attitudes in Natural Science”, Isonomia 2008. --- 

26. “Subjective and Objective Justification in the Solution of Gettier’s Problem”, in Selected Proceedings of the SILFS 2010 International Congress, edited by S.R. Arpaia, L&PS - Logic and Philosophy of Science, IX, 1, 2011, pp. 493-501, online: http://www2.units.it/episteme/L&PS_Vol9No1/L&PS_Vol9No1_2011_48_Alai.pdf. --- 

27.  M. Alai,   “Regimenting Common Sense Concepts of Knowledge and Justification after Gettier”, in:  The Epistemology of Ordinary Knowledge, ed. by M. Bianca, P. Piccari, Mimesis 2016. --- 

(D) Modelling Knowledge: 

28. H. van Ditmarsch,  B. Kooi, One Hundred Prisoners and a Light Bulb, Springer .

29. J. Hintikka,  Knowledge and Belief, King's College Publications

30. H. van Ditmarsch, W. van der Hoek, B. Kooi Dynamic Epistemic Logic, Springer

31. R.Fagin, Y. Moses, J. Y Halpern, M. Y Vardi, Reasoning About Knowledge

32. M. Frixione, S. Iaquinto, M. Vignolo Introduzione alle logiche modali Laterza 2016.

(E) Basic elements of decision theory and theory of social choices:

33. D.M. Resnik, Choices. An Introduction to Decision theory, 1987 (or in the Italian edition: Scelte. Introduzione alla teoria delle decisioni, Muzzio 1990).

Only a small part of this bibliography will be mandatory, and it will be indicated during classes.  Therefore it is not advisable to  buy anything without asking the teacher, except for volume n. 20 (and perhaps n. 33).  Some texts will be made available online (expecially those from out-of-print books). For any problem or question please contact the teacher.

Assessment

Students will be allowed to choose between a written examination at the early pre-exam session and an oral examination at the regular exam sessions. The written exam consists of some open questions. It allows a comparative and more objective assessment of the students’ learning, while testing the capacities for reflection, writing and argumentation. However the option to choose instead the oral examination allows even the students less familiar with written examinations to seek a good final mark. Both the written and the oral exam are intended to ascertain what and how much the student has learned both about the basic concepts of the discipline, and about the most important historical developments relevant to the topics of the course, but also their comprehension and capacity to discuss in a critical and possibly original way the topics of classes and assigned readings. Active participation in the classroom will also contribute to the final assessment. Foreign students will have an option to take the exam in English (or French, or Spanish).

all and only all topics actually discusses in classes and the texts explicitly indicated during classes (among which some chapters of volumes n. 20 and n. 33) will be required for the exam.  All the other texts can be used for a better and deeper understanding.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

 THOSE UNABLE TO ATTEND CLASSES will study on their own (individually or with others) according to the directions of this vademecum and if possible with the help which can be given by the teacher during office hours or through e-mail, Skype, etc. The files of lecture notes will also be made available on the platform Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it.

Attendance

In order to make up for the impossibility of attending classes, a hard and careful study is required. One should already possess good skills of autonomous learning and some capacity to read and understand philosophical texts, at least at a basic level. Whenever possible, it is advisable to work with other students. Students should also test their own learning by trying to produce examples of each concept and idea they encounter. Lists of test questions or mock exams will also be supplied upon request.

Course books

(A)      Required readings: 

1. A. Musgrave, Common sense, science, and scepticism, Cortina Editore 1995. ---

2. N. Vassallo, Teoria della conoscenza, Laterza 2003. ---

3. . D.M. Resnik, Choices. An Introduction to Decision theory, 1987 (or in the Italian edition: Scelte. Introduzione alla teoria delle decisioni, Muzzio 1990).

(B) Further voluntary readings: 

all the other readings suggested for students attending classes

Assessment

Oral examination. Alternatively, subject to previous agreement with the teacher, it will be possible to take a written examination at the early pre-exam session. The written exam consists of some open questions. It allows a comparative and more objective assessment of the students’ learning, while testing the capacities for reflection, writing and argumentation. Instead the oral examination allows even the students less familiar with written examinations to seek a good final mark. . Both the written and the oral exam are intended to ascertain what and how much the student has learned both about the basic concepts of the discipline, and about the most important historical developments relevant to the topics of the course, but also their comprehension and capacity to discuss in a critical and possibly original way the topics of classes and assigned readings. If a term paper is turned in, it will also contribute to the final evaluation. Foreign students may ask to take the exam in English (or French, or Spanish)

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

As a form of  CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) at least one article will  be read and commented in English. Help to the understanding will be supplied if needed. Foreign students will be allowed to use English (or French, or Spanish) for questions and comments during classes, for all the required readings, and for the final examination.