The module offers a selective path through key theoretical issues of early modern thought between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Early modern philosophy will be framed within the broader context of the development of philosophical thought, encouraging students to apply historical-philosophical knowledge to the analysis of contemporary philosophical debates. By the end of the course, students will be able to interpret and contextualise the core readings, and also to work systematically through the materials. Thanks to selected critical bibliography, and to the application of the appropriate historiographical tools, the module will enable students to read and interpret early modern authors beyond those discussed during the course.
Adequate knowledge of the most important authors and currents in the history of modern philosophy is required, demonstrated by the possession of at least 6 CFU credits in this field.
The course includes lectures and seminar work on texts. Students will be required to give short presentations, which will provide an opportunity for discussion, particularly with regard to the reading of primary texts in the light of contemporary debates. Non-attending students (attendance of less than two-thirds of the lessons) will be required to submit a written report (2,000 words) on a text to be agreed with the lecturer. The written report replaces attendance and oral presentation during the course, but not the oral exam, which must be taken in both cases. Teaching methods will be adapted to allow for the meaningful participation of students with disabilities, for example by encouraging the preparation of concept maps, which can be discussed during lectures.
The exam will consist of the presentation in class of a text chosen from a list provided at the beginning of the course and an oral discussion on the course content.
The course is dedicated to philosophical reflection on different conceptions of nature in early modernity, and on the conceptual relationship between nature and the environment, also in relation to issues of natural resource management, and therefore ecology. Selected texts by authors from the 18th and 19th centuries will be placed in dialogue with contemporary discussions on the environment as something external to humans and for which humans are responsible. Starting from a historical-philosophical analysis of the terms used in the primary literature, the course aims to guide students in identifying different ways of thinking about the relationship with the natural world, emphasizing the role of humanity in it. For this reason, the selection of texts will take care to offer as European an overview as possible, including central authors such as Kant, Goethe, and Hegel. The discussion of the texts will be guided by a series of questions that will allow students to identify elements of continuity and discontinuity with contemporary debates.
