General Objective: the course is aimed at providing the basic tools for  knowing and understanding themes and problems investigated by philosophical and scientific thought, knowing how to evaluate the rich complexity and the current validity for contemporary Man. It also aims to guide the student towards an autonomous development of the ability to read, to understand, and to analyze a classic philosophical text such as Descartes's Discourse on Method.

 Specific objectives:

1. to know how to understand the basic vocabulary of the discipline;

2. to acquire full awareness of the historical development of philosophical thought;

3. to acquire knowledge and awareness of the contextual complexity of the different theories taken into account;

4. to understand what associates and what differentiates medieval and Rennaisance thought;

5. to know how to read and understand a Renaissance philosophical text;

6. to know how to historically contextualize the text in question;

7. know how to interpret and analyze the text in question, identifying the underlying theories and arguments used by the author to support them;

8. to know how to compare the text in question with other related texts, identifying similarities and differences in theories and topics;

9. to be able to recognize any incongruity and inconsistency in the argumentative flow and in the ideas expressed by the author;

10. to be able to reason in a transdisciplinary manner, identifying ways of applying the contents learned, even in  didactic-educational contexts, according to age groups.

11. to know how to formulate an autonomous opinion on the theories that emerged from the analysis of the text and whether they have a significance or not in today’s human world and in various educational contexts.

Title of the course: "The search for the right method: philosophy, science, scientific revolution"

Epistemology is the systematic examination of the general criteria of scientificity and this kind of analysis is important for psychology seen as a science. The roots of epistemology are to be found in philosophical thought. Thus, the course’s aim is to investigate the development of philosophical and scientific (as well as meta-scientific) thinking - focusing on the epistemological bases, and through the analysis of a fundamental text in modern pgilosophy: Descartes's Discourse on method.

Course schedule:

1. a visual introduction to the themes of the course (two hours);

2. the birth of philosophy in Greece and the emerging of Western "scientific" mentality (two hours);

3. ontology (science of being) and epistemology (exam of the scientificity criteria): which relationship? (two hours);

4. the development of science and the "scientific revolution" of the Seventeenth century (six hours);

5. reading and critical comment of Descartes's Discourse on method (ten hours);

6. Hypothesis, previsions and control in science (four hours);

7. Thomas Kuhn an the concept of scientific "paradigm" (two hours);

8. conceptions of scientific explanation (two hours);

9. today's epistemology and the debate on the epistemology of psichology (two hours);

10. conclusions: toward a plurarity of methods and an intersection of perspectives? (two hours);

None.

1. Knowledge and the ability to comprehend: to have acquired the content foreseen by the program, understanding the fundamental lines and the particular aspects, even in a comparative perspective.

2. Application of knowledge and the ability to understand: know how to apply the concepts, ideas, theories and methodologies learned, even in contexts other than the original one; to be able to also extend across a transdisciplinary level.

3. Autonomy of judgments: reflecting and thinking about the various contents learned, developing a critical, autonomous, and flexible thought; being “open-minded”: open to the complexity of what is real, with an exploratory and investigative attitude; being able to question the theories of others and also one’s own.

4. Communicative skills: to demonstrate that we have acquired a mastery of the basic vocabulary of discipline and to know how to use it within a speech that is internally coherent and logically structured, according to a correct sequence of topics; the argumentative capacity must be in the use of analysis and synthesis, of inductive and deductive processes, as well as in the application of rhetorical techniques, up to the re-modulation of the subject according to the supposed interlocutor.

5. Learning skills: knowing how to use complementary resources available in addition to study texts – the materials entered by the lecturer in the Moodle platform, but also search engines on the web, bibliographic tools, etc. – to create a personal in-depth course.

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

None.

Teaching

Lectures - students will be engaged as often as possible.

Innovative teaching methods

Use of the "Debate" practice.

Attendance

It's not compulsory.

Course books

1. E. Castellani-M. Morganti, La filosofia della scienza, il Mulino, Bologna 2019.

2. L.M. Principe, La rivoluzione scientifica. Una brevissima introduzione, Mimesis, Milano 2023.

3. Cartesio, Discorso sul metodo, a cura di E. Frigieri e R. Campi, Theoria, Trento 2023.

Assessment

Written exam.

Evaluation criteria:

the evaluation will be assessed on the basis of the student’s knowledge and skills; the following indicators will be especially taken into account:

1. relevance and effectiveness of the answers as far as the contents of the programme are concerned;

2. level of articulation of the answers: they must be clear, logic and systematic,

3. use of the specialized vocabulary of the discipline;

4. being able to connect themes (also in a transdisciplinary way) and critical thinking skills.

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

Please study the didactic materials published on the e-platform Moodle: blended.uniurb.it

Attendance

It's not compulsory.

Course books

1. E. Castellani-M. Morganti, La filosofia della scienza, il Mulino, Bologna 2019.

2. L.M. Principe, La rivoluzione scientifica. Una brevissima introduzione, Mimesis, Milano 2023.

3. Cartesio, Discorso sul metodo, a cura di E. Frigieri e R. Campi, Theoria, Trento 2023.

Assessment

Written exam.

Evaluation criteria:

the evaluation will be assessed on the basis of the student’s knowledge and skills; the following indicators will be especially taken into account:

1. relevance and effectiveness of the answers as far as the contents of the programme are concerned;

2. level of articulation of the answers: they must be clear, logic and systematic,

3. use of the specialized vocabulary of the discipline;

4. being able to connect themes (also in a transdisciplinary way) and critical thinking skills.

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.

For further information students are invited to contact the professor.