Ateneo - UPO

THE ONESELF, THE OTHER, THE STRANGER (HUSSERL, LEVINAS, WALDENFELS)

E. Husserl, Meditazioni cartesiane, Bompiani, Milano 1989; B. Waldenfels, Fenomenologia dell'estraneo, Cortina, Milano 2008.
An anthology of texts of E. Levinas will be provided at the beginning of the course.

The course aims, at a basic level:
- (knowledge and skills): the acquisition of basic notions of moral philosophy, through a methodological approach and with reference to the history of philosophical thought.
- (ability to apply knowledge and understanding): ability to frame the themes and problems of the discipline, in the texts and contexts covered in the course.
- (transversal skills): ability to carefully analyze the positions of the authors and to be able to summarize them in a coherent path.
At a more advanced level, the objective of the course is:
- (knowledge and understanding): the acquisition of an articulated knowledge on the main thematic issues of moral philosophy.
- (ability to apply knowledge and understanding): the improvement of the student's ability to orient himself in the interpretation of philosophical texts of contemporary thought and to connect them to the theoretical-conceptual path of the discipline.
- (transversal skills): the student will be enabled to express critical judgments on themes and authors, using a terminologically precise and rigorous language.

No prerequisites are required. The course provides basic and advanced knowledge in the disciplinary area of Moral Philosophy. A useful, but not mandatory, requirement is a general knowledge of the essential notions of philosophy.

Frontal exposure, analysis and comment text, group discussions.

THE COURSE WILL BE HELD IN THE SECOND SEMESTER (FIRST PART), waiting confirmation on the days.

The final exam includes an oral exam of about 20 minutes, with which to verify the knowledge inserted between the objectives and the expected learning outcomes. The interview is structured in 5 sections: 1) at least one question on the introductory part of the discipline; 2) at least one question on the part of the program concerning Husserlian phenomenology; 3) at least one question on the V of the Cartesian Meditations by Husserl; 4) at least one question on the part concerning the philosophy of E. Levinas; 5) at least one question on the thought of B. Waldenfels.

The exam will have a positive result if the sum of 18/30 is reached or exceeded. The formulation of the overall grade will be based on the following elements: answers to questions from Section 1: 10% of the evaluation; answers to questions in Section 2: 20% of the evaluation; answers to questions in Section 3: 20% of the evaluation; answers to questions in Section 4: 20% of the evaluation; answers to Section questions 5: 20% of the evaluation. Exposure attentive to the precision of the terminology and to the argumentative correctness: 10%. The honors will be awarded based on the assessment of accuracy, depth and ability to process the response

The course introduces the discipline and themes that inform practical-moral action, to dwell on the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl and on the critical comparison that with it bases Emmanuel Levinas and Bernhard Waldenfels. The central thematic core of their moral philosophy is the subject in its constitutive openness to otherness: a subject capable of challenging the demands of a self-centered and absolute subject and of bringing into play the themes of differences, inequalities and social relations, in a perspective of dialogue and integration.

In order to achieve the knowledge, skills and abilities corresponding to the basic level, the student is asked to demonstrate:
- (knowledge and understanding): the acquisition of the fundamental problems and themes of moral philosophy;
- (ability to apply knowledge and understanding): the ability to deal with philosophical texts and to connect them to the theoretical-conceptual path of the discipline;
- (autonomy of judgment): to be able to discuss the philosophical perspectives and the leading themes addressed;
- (communication skills): to be able to present the topics of the course in a clear and appropriate way;
- (learning ability): to adopt the methodological approach provided in the course for understanding the proposed path.
For the achievement of an advanced level, the student must demonstrate that:
- (knowledge and understanding): knowing how to deal with classical texts, identifying the fundamental thematic nodes in their peculiar declinations;
- (ability to apply knowledge and understanding): knowing how to expose and discuss the position of the Authors, even with textual references, using the fundamental concepts of the discipline appropriately;
- (autonomy of judgment): knowing how to deal appropriately with the subject, discussing the different positions, even with a well-argued personal perspective;
- (communication skills): knowing how to articulate interventions, interacting in the discussion and learning transmission methods also from a didactic perspective;
- (learning ability): knowing how to proceed with the analysis, synthesis and interpretative understanding of texts, also in relation to a didactic application of philosophical knowledge in teaching.