Ateneo - UPO

Outlines of history of philosophy and science in early modern age.

L. Geymonat (a cura di), Storia del pensiero filosofico e scientifico (Milano, Garzanti, ed. economica), vol. II, sez. III, cap. XI, § 4 (pp. 426-435); vol. III, sez. V, cap. IX (pp. 216-253).
P. Rossi (a cura di), Storia della scienza moderna e contemporanea, Dalla rivoluzione scientifica all’età dei Lumi, Milano, Tea, 2000, vol. I, pp. 375-400; vol. II, pp. 567-671; 779-841.
L. Spallanzani, Prodromo di un’opera da imprimersi sopra le riproduzioni animali [1768], in Edizione Nazionale delle Opere, Modena, Mucchi, 1996, parte IV, vol. I, pp. 195-244.
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Basic knowledge of the birth and development of modern philosophy and science (16th-18th centuries). Achievement of the following skills: 1) comprehension of early modern scientific and philosophical texts by teacher guidance; 2) comparison of different models of history of philosophy and science; 3) analysis and synthesis of texts and studies with elaboration of clear and consistent, written and oral presentations. These goals can be achieved in an intermediate way with only partial ability in the above mentioned three skills. They are achieved only in a sufficient way if abilities are not well developed.

Basic knowledge of early-modern philosophy. With regard to the history of science, no background knowledge is required. The course offers the students the first (and often the only one) occasion to meet the history of science.

Lectures; reading and commenting texts; two (compulsory) written proofs in itinere concerning the history of science. The proofs are not evaluated, but corrected and discussed.

Concerning the part of history of science, non-attending students will ask the teacher for supplementary bibliography. They will prepare a paper to be sent to the teacher at least a week before the exam.

Concerning the part of history of science: a compulsory written proof in itinere to verify students' comprehension and mastery of the explained subjects. The proofs have no grade. Written exam proof (with grade) consisting in the elaboration of three basic topics of the course. The result of the exam considers goals obtained globally as well as the grades received in the two integrated parts. Excellent, intermediate and sufficient grade correspond the a complete, partial and with critical problems achievement of above mentioned mission of the course. Concerning the part of history of philosophy, 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.

Concerning the history of science, the course offers outlines of history of modern science (15th-18th centuries) explaining exemplary study cases, reading short texts and discussing various models of scientific historiography. Concerning the history of philosophy, 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.

Basic knowledge of the development of modern philosophy with special attention, in the case of philosophy, to the various stages of the development of Descartes' metaphysical thought, from the early writings to the Meditations, in an attempt to put out the reasons of continuity but also the many fractures, often unresolved. Outlines of early modern science. Achievement of the following skills: comprehension of early modern scientific and philosophical texts with teacher guidance; comparison of different historical-scientific models; analysis and synthesis of texts and studies; elaboration of clear and consistent, written and oral presentations. The learning objectives can be reached in excellent, intermediate and sufficient way, if the three goals are achieved in full and partial way, or with persistent critical problems.