This Master in Philosophy aims to provide a solid basic training in the main domains of analytic philosophy, and in the fundamentals of the history of philosophy. Through the teaching of these content, the programme aims to develop in the students an autonomous ability to analyse, evaluate and discuss philosophical arguments, and to produce their own.
Aligning with these objectives, the course proposed here aims to acquaint the student, at an advanced level, with some of the most central problems in contemporary political philosophy, with a focus on the relationship between art, politics and morality.
In examining these problems, the ways in which they have been analysed, and the answers that have been offered, the teacher will seek to engage students in open discussion, the goal of which is to strengthen students' analytical, critical, and argumentative skills, so as to support both the learning of philosophical content and the exercise of students' philosophical skills.
none
Field tdefinedo be The classes will be run like seminars. The teacher will present the key ideas, but students will be expected to read the relevant papers in advance and take part in the discussion.
Field to The overall mark for the two modules, expressed in thirtieths, will be determined by the partial tests designed to verify the level of learning of the topics covered and/or by the writing of papers relating to the topics explored in the course be defined. In particularly, for the firs module, a written paper of 2,500 words maximum is to submitted, as a means of evaluation. The exam will be deemed passed if the student will show in their written work: a) analytical and critical understanding; b) argumentative skills; c) originality and independence of thought.
This module will explore the relationship between Art, Politics and Morality. This relationship is complex and raises a number of questions that go back at least to Ancient Greece. For example, can art, at least in some of its forms, corrupt? And, if so, is censorship an adequate response to it? (Plato famously thought that poetry was dangerous and should have no place in the city.) The contemporary debate has paid relatively little attention to these questions, but recent discussions in the news of the immoral conduct of prominent artists (from Gaugin to Roman Polanski to Michael Jackson) have forcefully brought some of them to the attention of the public. Some of these questions are institutional. Is it appropriate, for example, for the state to bestow public honours on such figures? Other questions are social in nature. How, as consumers, should we respond to their work? Are we required to boycott it or is this a morally problematic form of “cancel culture”? Finally, some questions concern our private responses to the work of these artists. Is it appropriate to enjoy it? Could its aesthetic value be compromised when its content is morally problematic? And even when the content itself is not morally problematic, could its aesthetic value be compromised by the immorality of the author? These are some of the questions we will discuss in class.
Students who do not attend the lectures in person, are on Erasmus exchange or have certified learning disabilities (PDP/PEI) are advised to contact the teacher for indications about exam preparation.
