In Niccolò Machiavelli's thought, the notions of "religion" and "time" (often declined in the plural: "times") play a role that is difficult to overestimate, especially if one does not limit oneself to considering only Christianity, or institutionalised religion, but includes the vast territory of "faith" and "belief", that is, the attitude that necessarily takes over when the human being is placed before the need to act in the absence of a certain experience that can be a guide to action. In these situations, time loses all appearance of repetitiveness, continuity and predictability, in short of solidity, and reveals itself in its contingency. In these cases, however, not only does the future show itself to be completely uncertain and subject to a radical gamble, but the present itself no longer has a binding structure, and opens up to different possibilities, all in some way at stake. The past itself then becomes a controversial notion, split between "history" and "memory", between the reconstructions credited by "writers" and "civilisations" and the series of events and forms of life erased and excluded. Reconstruction of the past and projection towards the future are therefore both practical issues, not merely speculative, and are linked respectively to meditation on forms of action, from which to derive "examples", and to religion, as the construction of mythical scenarios, which in turn are also "examples". On the basis of a choice of texts by Machiavelli, an attempt will be made to illustrate this double link.

1. Introduction to the course. Biographical profile of Niccolò Machiavelli. Main interpretations of his thought.

2. I Ghiribizi scripti in Perugia al Soderino (1506): the feedback, the times, human nature.

3. The Prince: the "great examples"; the "armed prophets" and the "unarmed prophets".

4. The Discourses on Livy: religion, politics, government; memory, history, politics.

Students will have to be able to understand and explain philosophical texts of an intermediate nature, to face and solve classical problems of the history of philosophy, to use bibliographic and informative tools related to the field (History of Philosophy), to know the basic problems of their field of study. Furthermore, students will have to demonstrate autonomy of judgement in the evaluation of the data collected.

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

Teaching

Lectures

Course books

N. Machiavelli, Opere, a cura di C. Vivanti, 3 volumi, Torino, Einaudi-Gallimard, 1997; ovvero: De principatibus, Discorsi sopra la prima Deca di Tito Livio e altre opere, a cura di R. Rinaldi, 2 volumi, Torino, Utet, 2006.

Bibliography:

one text among the following:

G. M. Barbuto, Machiavelli, Roma, Salerno editrice, 2013

M. Ciliberto, Niccolò Machiavelli. Ragione e pazzia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2019

G. Inglese, Per Machiavelli, Roma, Carocci, 2006

U. Dotti, Machiavelli rivoluzionario, Roma, Carocci, 2003.

Machiavelli: tempo e conflitto, a cura di R. Caporali, V. Morfino e S. Visentin, Milano, Mimesis, 2013.

Assessment

Oral examination.

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

Students who are not attending will be able to choose between two possibilities:

1) download all the material in the blended platform and add the study program for attending students

2) follow the programme indicated under 'Course Books'.

Attendance

Not attending students are required to contact the teacher well in advance of the exam date.

Course books

N. Machiavelli, Opere, a cura di C. Vivanti, 3 volumi, Torino, Einaudi-Gallimard, 1997; ovvero: De principatibus, Discorsi sopra la prima Deca di Tito Livio e altre opere, a cura di R. Rinaldi, 2 volumi, Torino, Utet, 2006.

Bibliography:

two texts among the following:

G. M. Barbuto, Machiavelli, Roma, Salerno editrice, 2013

M. Ciliberto, Niccolò Machiavelli. Ragione e pazzia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2019

G. Inglese, Per Machiavelli, Roma, Carocci, 2006

U. Dotti, Machiavelli rivoluzionario, Roma, Carocci, 2003.

Machiavelli: tempo e conflitto, a cura di R. Caporali, V. Morfino e S. Visentin, Milano, Mimesis, 2013.

Assessment

Oral examination.

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.

At the student's request, the course bibliography can also be provided - and the exam taken - in English, Spanish, French and German.