Ateneo - UPO

Aesthetics and Hermeneutics

P. D’angelo, E. Franzini, G. Scaramuzza, "Estetica", Cortina, Milano 2002

H. G. Gadamer, "Verità e metodo", Bompiani, Milano 1989 (prima parte)

L. Pareyson, "Estetica. Teoria della formatività", Bompiani, Milano 1988

Aa.Vv., "Pareyson e l’estetica", in “Annuario filosofico” 27 (2011), pp. 31-145

The course aims first of all at introducing students (referring to a basic level and to an advanced level) to the knowledge and understanding of some of the most important themes and authors of Aesthetics in modern and contemporary age, showing then in a deeper way Gadamer’s and Pareyson’s hermeneutical reflection about the concept of form and of interpretation in artistic field. The course aims also at offering students tools to understand in an autonomous way a text of Aesthetics and to express a reasoned judgment about it.

A basic knowledge of the history of philosophy from ancient to contemporary age is required.

Lectures and seminars

Not attending students must also study the following text:

S. Givone, "Prima lezione di estetica", Laterza, Roma-Bari 2003

During the oral examination the knowledge of the principal aspects of a wide content and its historical context will be tested (40%); then the analytic and synthetic understanding of a more specific content with peculiar attention to the correctness of the exposition will be tested (30%); at the end the commentary of a text explained during the lectures and a critical and autonomous judgment about it will be required (30%).
The questions (at least three) will concern the three mentioned aspects and the final mark will be given with reference to the indicated percentages.
To achieve a sufficient mark, the student must show to know and understand the basic aspects of themes and authors of the programme.

First of all during the module, after an introduction to the meaning of Aesthetics, the essential lines and the most important authors of it, in reference to modern and contemporary age, will be analized also by means of reading and expounding texts. The relationship between Aesthetics and Hermeneutics in Gadamer’s and Pareyson’s philosophical perspectives will be then showed in deeper way with particular reference to the concept of form and of interpretation in artistic field.

It is expected that students can orientate themselves in an adequate way in knowing and understanding (also applied) of the proposed contents and that they learn how to use some essential critical tools to express in an autonomous and operative way a personal judgment about these contents.