The course aims at providing the necessary skills in order to grasp a contemporary philosophical text. To this purpose, the course provides students with the necessary tools in order to:

- elaborate an appropriate historical-social contextualization of a contemporary philosophical text;

- identify the prior philosophical streams setting up the framework of a given philosophical work and be confident with the text’s features that make them identifiable (by focusing in particular on the traits of lexical permanence, on the recursion of argumentative methods, on shared philosophical objectives).

- pick out the original features that characterize a single work of contemporary philosophy within its philosophical tradition;

- be able to grasp the stratified character of a philosophical text and to subsequently, possibly identify its weaknesses;

- identify the weak points of a philosophical text also concerning logical fallacies (e.g. incoherence between assumptions and consequences; begging the question; semantic vagueness);

- identify the possible weaknesses of a philosophical work that are due to the simultaneous presence of divergent and incoherent philosophical traditions within the text (that may also stand beyond the explicit author’s purposes).   

Kant and his Legacy: from Neocriticism to Critical Ontology

A) Neocriticism in Germany: themes, problems, and movements

- Introduction to the basic features of the neocritical movement: "Back to Kant" of the 1860s;

B) The first edition of Kant's Theory of Experience by Hermann Cohen (1871).

- The sense of the refoundation of apriori; the relation between apriori and transcendental; space and time as pure forms of sensible intuition; the relation between Transcendental Aesthetic and Transcendental Logic; categories and their deduction.

C) Paul Natorp: critical nodes and theoretical objectives of the Marburg School

- the problem of the subjective and objective foundation of knowledge, the essential traits of Marburg Neo-Kantianism.

D) Nicolai Hartmann: the comparison with Kant for the foundation of critical ontology

- the problem of reality as access to ontology and realism, the concept of reality, reality and knowledge, theory of knowledge and ontology, reality as an emotional datum, objections to Hartmann's theses, and his replies to the objections.

No

Knowledge and understanding

- Acknowledgment of the importance of the political-social context for the elaboration of philosophical theories of the contemporary age;

- Ability to detect the peculiar features among alternative forms of philosophical argumentation within a shared philosophical, political and cultural tradition.    

 Applying knowledge and understanding

- The student will be able to master the essential theoretical and lexical tools in order to gain the ability to autonomously read and interpret a philosophical work of the contemporary age;

- The student will be able to appreciate the important role of a correct socio-historical contextualisation for an adequate understanding of the texts of the contemporary age.      

 Making judgements

- The student will develop an appropriate critical ability in order to identify the eventual discrepancies between single philosophical texts and their philosophical tradition;

- The student will develop an autonomous capacity in order to properly evaluate the contradictions and the weak reasoning of a philosophical argumentation.   

 Communication skills

- The student will be provided with the necessary skills in order to present to an audience, even not a specialized one, the core issues of a contemporary philosophical text, by focusing in particular on the historical context, on the lexical and argumentative peculiarities within a given philosophical tradition, on the contradictions, weakness and shortcomings from a logical-argumentative point of view.

 Learning skills

- At the end of the course the student will be provided with the necessary tools for an autonomous study of a philosophical text of the contemporary age;

- The student will understand the meaning and importance of the philosophical lexicon, and of extra-philosophical materials, that are essential in order to gain a deep insight of the political-cultural context of a text. This knowledge will allow the student to autonomously approach to the appropriate bibliographical researches.

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

No

Teaching

Lectures.

The lectures consist mainly of reading and exegesis of the texts, without neglecting specific links to the philosophical context.

Attendance

The regulations of the degree course in "Humanities, Cultural Heritage Studies and Philosophy" do not require students to attend lectures.

The status of attending student requires attendance of at least 2/3 of the lessons (48 hours). If attendance is lower or non-existent, the student must comply with the obligations indicated for non-attending students.

Course books

• A) Texts:

1) Hermann Cohen, La teoria kantiana dell’esperienza, a cura di L. Bertolini, FrancoAngeli, Milano 1990 [ISBN 978-8820435707] (out-of-print text - available in Italian libraries and/or through indications provided by the teacher), pp. 31-163 [excluding pp. 89-103]

2) Paul Natorp, Sulla fondazione soggettiva e oggettiva della conoscenza, in Id., Tra Kant e Husserl. Scritti 1887-1914, a cura di M. Ferrari e G. Gigliotti, Le Lettere, Firenze 2011 [ISBN 978-8860873118], pp. 71-95

3) Paul Natorp, Kant e la Scuola di Marburgo, in Id., Tra Kant e Husserl. Scritti 1887-1914, a cura di M. Ferrari e G. Gigliotti, Le Lettere, Firenze 2011 [ISBN 978-8860873118], pp. 113-138

4) Nicolai Hartmann, Il problema della datità del reale (inclusive of Discussione e Risposta alle obiezioni), in Id., Ontologia e realtà, a cura di G. D’Anna e R. Pettoello, Morcelliana, Brescia 2021 [ISBN 978-8837235369], pp. 65-234

• B) Literature (mandatory):

5) Massimo Ferrari, Introduzione a Il Neocriticismo, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1997 [ISBN 978-8842053323] (out-of-print text - available in Italian libraries and/or through indications provided by the teacher)    

6) Remo Cantoni, Che cosa ha veramente detto Hartmann, Ubaldini, Roma 1972 [ISBN 978-8834003169] (out-of-print text - available in Italian libraries and/or through indications provided by the teacher)  

• C) Literature (optional):

C1) On the History of Contemporary Philosophy:

7) Giuseppe Cambiano – Massimo Mori, Storia della filosofia contemporanea, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2014

8) Pietro Rossi – Carlo Augusto Viano (a cura di), Storia della filosofia, vol. 5, L’Ottocento, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1997 e vol. 6/1-2, Il Novecento, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1999

9) Mario Dal Pra (a cura di), Storia della filosofia, voll. 9-11, Vallardi, Padova 1983    

C2) On course topics:

10) Gianna Gigliotti, Avventure e disavventure del trascendentale. Saggio su Cohen e Natorp, Guida, Napoli 1989 [ISBN 978-8870429855] (available through Google-play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=fUvuTMPJe6cC&rdid=book-fUvuTMPJe6cC&rdot=1)

11) Andrea Poma, La filosofia critica di Hermann Cohen, Mursia, Milano 1988  [ISBN 978-8842593119] (out-of-print text - available in Italian libraries and/or through indications provided by the teacher)  

12) Giuseppe D’Anna, Nicolai Hartmann. Dal conoscere all’essere, Morcelliana, Brescia 2009 [ISBN 978-8837223373]      

Assessment

The examination consists in an oral exam. Students are required to read and comment on single passages of the two texts. Students are expected to be able to grasp the main theoretical features of the examined passages and to be able to contextualize them within the text, eventually with reference to the secondary literature.

Particular attention is given to the oral exposure’s capacity through the proper terminology.

Students are expected to be able to develop a critical approach to the theories they studied. In the evaluation, particular attention will be given to the student’s ability to autonomously reformulate the materials they dealt with and to their ability to make comparisons between the authors they studied.

Assessment criteria:

- Excellent marks will be awarded for: a clear and precise exposition of the exam texts; the ability to link the various positions of the authors studied; good critical and in-depth study skills.

- Good marks will be awarded for: a clear, albeit mnemonic, presentation of the examination texts; a reasonable ability to link the various theories; only a reasonable level of critical ability and appropriate language.

- Sufficient marks will be awarded for: minimal knowledge of the examination texts; a general ability to link the various theories studied; possession of only sufficiently appropriate language.

- Negative marks will be awarded for: poor knowledge of the examination texts; obvious gaps in training; use of inappropriate language.

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

Non-attending students may contact the professor during office hours to request explanations regarding the content of the texts.

Attendance

Students who do not attend classes, whether in full or with less than 2/3 attendance (48 hours), must strictly follow the study texts indicated.

Non-attending students are also required to contact the professor at least three months in advance of the scheduled date of the exam in order to verify the possible need for supplementary readings useful for the exam.

Any supplementary readings are different from and in addition to those already indicated in the study texts for non-attending students and have the only purpose of further supporting the student in dealing with the study texts. The supplementary readings do not, therefore, constitute a specific subject in the assessment

Course books

• A) Texts:

1) Hermann Cohen, La teoria kantiana dell’esperienza, a cura di L. Bertolini, FrancoAngeli, Milano 1990 [ISBN 978-8820435707] (out-of-print text - available in Italian libraries and/or through indications provided by the teacher), pp. 31-163 [excluding pp. 89-103]

2) Paul Natorp, Sulla fondazione soggettiva e oggettiva della conoscenza, in Id., Tra Kant e Husserl. Scritti 1887-1914, a cura di M. Ferrari e G. Gigliotti, Le Lettere, Firenze 2011 [ISBN 978-8860873118], pp. 71-95

3) Paul Natorp, Kant e la Scuola di Marburgo, in Id., Tra Kant e Husserl. Scritti 1887-1914, a cura di M. Ferrari e G. Gigliotti, Le Lettere, Firenze 2011 [ISBN 978-8860873118], pp. 113-138

4) Nicolai Hartmann, Il problema della datità del reale (inclusive of Discussione e Risposta alle obiezioni), in Id., Ontologia e realtà, a cura di G. D’Anna e R. Pettoello, Morcelliana, Brescia 2021 [ISBN 978-8837235369], pp. 65-234

• B) Literature (mandatory):

5) Massimo Ferrari, Introduzione a Il Neocriticismo, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1997 [ISBN 978-8842053323] (out-of-print text - available in Italian libraries and/or through indications provided by the teacher)    

6) Remo Cantoni, Che cosa ha veramente detto Hartmann, Ubaldini, Roma 1972 [ISBN 978-8834003169] (out-of-print text - available in Italian libraries and/or through indications provided by the teacher)

- a single text to be chosen from among those listed in point 11, 12, 13

• C) Literature (optional):

C1) On the History of Contemporary Philosophy:

7) Giuseppe Cambiano – Massimo Mori, Storia della filosofia contemporanea, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2014

8) Pietro Rossi – Carlo Augusto Viano (a cura di), Storia della filosofia, vol. 5, L’Ottocento, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1997 e vol. 6/1-2, Il Novecento, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1999

9) Mario Dal Pra (a cura di), Storia della filosofia, voll. 9-11, Vallardi, Padova 1983    

C2) On course topics:

10) Gianna Gigliotti, Avventure e disavventure del trascendentale. Saggio su Cohen e Natorp, Guida, Napoli 1989 [ISBN 978-8870429855] (available through Google-play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=fUvuTMPJe6cC&rdid=book-fUvuTMPJe6cC&rdot=1)

11) Andrea Poma, La filosofia critica di Hermann Cohen, Mursia, Milano 1988  [ISBN 978-8842593119] (out-of-print text - available in Italian libraries and/or through indications provided by the teacher)  

12) Giuseppe D’Anna, Nicolai Hartmann. Dal conoscere all’essere, Morcelliana, Brescia 2009 [ISBN 978-8837223373]

Assessment

The examination consists in an oral exam. Students are required to read and comment on single passages of the two texts. Students are expected to be able to grasp the main theoretical features of the examined passages and to be able to contextualize them within the text, eventually with reference to the secondary literature.

Particular attention is given to the oral exposure’s capacity through the proper terminology.

Students are expected to be able to develop a critical approach to the theories they studied. In the evaluation, particular attention will be given to the student’s ability to autonomously reformulate the materials they dealt with and to their ability to make comparisons between the authors they studied.

Assessment criteria:

- Excellent marks will be awarded for: a clear and precise exposition of the exam texts; the ability to link the various positions of the authors studied; good critical and in-depth study skills.

- Good marks will be awarded for: a clear, albeit mnemonic, presentation of the examination texts; a reasonable ability to link the various theories; only a reasonable level of critical ability and appropriate language.

- Sufficient marks will be awarded for: minimal knowledge of the examination texts; a general ability to link the various theories studied; possession of only sufficiently appropriate language.

- Negative marks will be awarded for: poor knowledge of the examination texts; obvious gaps in training; use of inappropriate language.

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.

N.B. = All the philosophical texts read and discussed in class (available on the Moodle platform ' blended.uniurb.it') are an integral part of the examination programme for both students and non-attending students.