Ateneo - UPO

From Descartes to Kant: causality in early-modern philosophy

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The basic training objectives are as follows:
1. [Knowledge and understanding] provide the student with sufficient knowledge of the main aspects of the question of causality in early-modern philosophy
2. [Ability to apply knowledge and understanding]: to allow the student to briefly reconstruct the main arguments on causality of early-modern philosophers and to understand them conceptually
3. [communication skills]: to come to expose the acquired notions in a clear and sufficiently detailed way
4. [learning ability] to be able to connect the acquired knowledge with the main issues of early-modern philosophy
The advanced level objectives are as follows:
1. [Knowledge and understanding] to arrive at a thorough knowledge of the question of causality in early-modern philosophy
2. [Ability to apply knowledge and understanding]: allow the student to reconstruct in detail the main arguments of early-modern philosophers on the question of causality and to understand them conceptually in their internal articulations
3. [communication skills]: expose in a detailed and personal way the notions acquired, and to analyze them critically
4. [learning ability] to use the acquired knowledge in the framework of a broader discussion of the main issues of early-modern philosophy

Basic knowledge of early-modern philosophy

Oral courses

Students who follow the 9 CFU module take an intermediate test on the program carried out in class in the first part of the course. The final exam consists of an oral exam, structured as follows: 1) verification of the knowledge acquired during the course (type question: "In what sense Hume denied the principle of causality?"); 2) verification of the ability to reconstruct, on the basis of acquired knowledge, the philosophical arguments present in the text (type question: "On what is the distinction between real and occasional causes based?") 3) verification of the ability to effectively communicate notions and arguments. The test consists of at least 3 questions. The mark is expressed out of thirty and the evaluation takes place according to the following parameters: 1) Knowledge and understanding of the main topics of the module: 18 points out of 30 (sufficiency); 2) ability to analyze the theories and arguments studied: 6 points out of 30; 3) ability to clearly and precisely present the knowledge acquired during the module: 6 points out of 30.

In the first part of the course (reserved for those who follow the 9 CFU module) we will examine Descartes' position on causality (and the position of his followers Malebranche and Spinoza). In the second part (intended for all attending students), we will try to outline the history of the debate on causality from Leibniz to Kant

The basic training objectives are as follows:
1. [Knowledge and understanding] provide the student with sufficient knowledge of the main aspects of the question of causality in early-modern philosophy
2. [Ability to apply knowledge and understanding]: to allow the student to briefly reconstruct the main arguments on causality of early-modern philosophers and to understand them conceptually
3. [communication skills]: to come to expose the acquired notions in a clear and sufficiently detailed way
4. [learning ability] to be able to connect the acquired knowledge with the main issues of early-modern philosophy
The advanced level objectives are as follows:
1. [Knowledge and understanding] to arrive at a thorough knowledge of the question of causality in early-modern philosophy
2. [Ability to apply knowledge and understanding]: allow the student to reconstruct in detail the main arguments of early-modern philosophers on the question of causality and to understand them conceptually in their internal articulations
3. [communication skills]: expose in a detailed and personal way the notions acquired, and to analyze them critically
4. [learning ability] to use the acquired knowledge in the framework of a broader discussion of the main issues of early-modern philosophyThe student must demonstrate, at the basic level, to possess:
1. [Knowledge and understanding] sufficient knowledge of the question of the relationship between science and philosophy in Descartes
2. [Ability to apply knowledge and understanding]: an ability to reconstruct the main arguments of Descartes in their broad lines
3. [communication skills]: an ability to present the acquired notions in a clear and sufficiently detailed way
4. [learning ability] sufficient competence to link the acquired knowledge with the main problems of modern philosophy
At the advanced level, the student is required:
1. [Knowledge and understanding] to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the main themes of Descartes' reflection on science and philosophy
2. [Ability to apply knowledge and understanding]: to reconstruct in detail the main arguments of Descartes and to understand them conceptually in their internal articulations
3. [communication skills]: to expose the acquired notions in a detailed and personal way, and to analyze critically
4. [learning ability] to use the acquired knowledge in the framework of a broader discussion of the main issues of modern philosophy,