History of Medieval Philosophy (MA)
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
This course aims at providing students, through the study of relevant authors and problems, with 1) a thorough understanding of the history of medieval thought; 2) the essential critical tools that allow them to read autonomously and critically philosophical texts authored by medieval authors and to analyze their context, their sources, their argumentative forms.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student
- knows a decisive phase of the development of philosophical and scientific thought through the reading of primary and secondary sources
- understands how scientific traditions, ideas and argumentative forms changed between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
- has an advanced knowledge of the bibliographical and methodological tools of research in the history of philosophy.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student
- is able to philologically understand texts and essays examined in class
- is able to clearly and thoroughly expound the problems discussed in these texts and to critically evaluate their interpretations
- can apply the knowledge and reading methods learned in class to other philosophical and scientific texts and problems.
At the end of the course, the student
- knows a decisive phase of the development of philosophical and scientific thought through the reading of primary and secondary sources
- understands how scientific traditions, ideas and argumentative forms changed between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
- has an advanced knowledge of the bibliographical and methodological tools of research in the history of philosophy.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student
- is able to philologically understand texts and essays examined in class
- is able to clearly and thoroughly expound the problems discussed in these texts and to critically evaluate their interpretations
- can apply the knowledge and reading methods learned in class to other philosophical and scientific texts and problems.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The course is addressed to students of the Master's Degree in Philosophical Sciences and other students of the University whose plan includes the possibility of choosing the course of History of Medieval Philosophy for 6 or 9 CFU.
The course has three main objectives
1) To examine, through the direct reading of texts by philosophers and theologians of the 13th
and 14th century, how Aristotelian natural philosophy was received and discussed: in particular, the function of scientific knowledge and the function of mathematics, certain key concepts (motion, time, space), innovative physical and cosmological hypotheses (plurality of worlds, earth's rotation, etc.).
2) To reconstruct the main lines of the historiographical debate on the existence and nature of medieval science, analysing in particular the theses of Edward Grant's theses on the relationship between the development of natural philosophy in medieval universities and the emergence of modern science
3) To address the controversial issue of the contribution of the relationship between humanism and
development of scientific thought.
The course has three main objectives
1) To examine, through the direct reading of texts by philosophers and theologians of the 13th
and 14th century, how Aristotelian natural philosophy was received and discussed: in particular, the function of scientific knowledge and the function of mathematics, certain key concepts (motion, time, space), innovative physical and cosmological hypotheses (plurality of worlds, earth's rotation, etc.).
2) To reconstruct the main lines of the historiographical debate on the existence and nature of medieval science, analysing in particular the theses of Edward Grant's theses on the relationship between the development of natural philosophy in medieval universities and the emergence of modern science
3) To address the controversial issue of the contribution of the relationship between humanism and
development of scientific thought.
Prerequisites for admission
Basic knowledge of medieval philosophy
Teaching methods
Lectures and debates
Teaching Resources
Common program for both the 6 and 9 ECTS credit exams:
1. E. Grant, Le origini medievali della scienza moderna. Il contesto religioso, istituzionale e intellettuale, PBE Einaudi, Torino 2001
2. a selection of texts on natural philosophy from the 13th and 14th centuries (scans available on MyAriel)
3. J.E. Murdoch, "Filosofia e impresa scientifica nel tardo Medioevo", in Medioevo in discussione. Temi, problemi, interpretazioni del pensiero medievale, a cura di G. Briguglia, Milano, Unicopli 2001, pp. 149-173 (scans available on MyAriel)
Additions for the 9 ECTS credit program:
1. J.M.H. Thijssen, "Alcune riflessioni su continuità e trasformazione dell'aristotelismo nella filosofia del Rinascimento (e del Medioevo)", in Medioevo in discussione. Temi, problemi, interpretazioni del pensiero medievale, a cura di G. Briguglia, Milano, Unicopli 2001, pp. 175-200 (scans available on MyAriel);
2. E. Garin, "Gli umanisti e le scienze", Giornale critico della filosofia italiana 1991, pp. 335-356 (scans available on MyAriel)
3. A text (two texts for non-attenders) to be chosen from:
L. Bianchi, "L'esattezza impossibile: scienza e "calculationes" nel XIV secolo, in L. Bianchi, E. Randi, Le verità dissonanti. Aristotele alla fine del medioevo, Laterza ("Biblioteca di Cultura Moderna", 991), Roma - Bari 1990, pp. 119-150 (scans available on MyAriel)
L. Bianchi, "Fra Ermolao Barbaro e Ludovico Boccadiferro: qualche considerazione sulle trasformazioni della 'fisica medievale' nel Rinascimento italiano", Medioevo, 29, 2004, pp. 341-378 (scans available on MyAriel)
M. Sgarbi, "Renaissance Aristotelianism and the Scientific Revolution", Physis 52 (2017), pp. 329-345 (scans available on MyAriel)
J.M.H. Thijssen, "Late-Medieval Natural Philosophy: Some Recent Trends in Scholarship", Recherches de théologie et de philosophie médiévales 67 (2000), pp. 158-190 (scans available on MyAriel)
International students who do not read Italian can agree with the lecturer on a complete bibliography in English.
1. E. Grant, Le origini medievali della scienza moderna. Il contesto religioso, istituzionale e intellettuale, PBE Einaudi, Torino 2001
2. a selection of texts on natural philosophy from the 13th and 14th centuries (scans available on MyAriel)
3. J.E. Murdoch, "Filosofia e impresa scientifica nel tardo Medioevo", in Medioevo in discussione. Temi, problemi, interpretazioni del pensiero medievale, a cura di G. Briguglia, Milano, Unicopli 2001, pp. 149-173 (scans available on MyAriel)
Additions for the 9 ECTS credit program:
1. J.M.H. Thijssen, "Alcune riflessioni su continuità e trasformazione dell'aristotelismo nella filosofia del Rinascimento (e del Medioevo)", in Medioevo in discussione. Temi, problemi, interpretazioni del pensiero medievale, a cura di G. Briguglia, Milano, Unicopli 2001, pp. 175-200 (scans available on MyAriel);
2. E. Garin, "Gli umanisti e le scienze", Giornale critico della filosofia italiana 1991, pp. 335-356 (scans available on MyAriel)
3. A text (two texts for non-attenders) to be chosen from:
L. Bianchi, "L'esattezza impossibile: scienza e "calculationes" nel XIV secolo, in L. Bianchi, E. Randi, Le verità dissonanti. Aristotele alla fine del medioevo, Laterza ("Biblioteca di Cultura Moderna", 991), Roma - Bari 1990, pp. 119-150 (scans available on MyAriel)
L. Bianchi, "Fra Ermolao Barbaro e Ludovico Boccadiferro: qualche considerazione sulle trasformazioni della 'fisica medievale' nel Rinascimento italiano", Medioevo, 29, 2004, pp. 341-378 (scans available on MyAriel)
M. Sgarbi, "Renaissance Aristotelianism and the Scientific Revolution", Physis 52 (2017), pp. 329-345 (scans available on MyAriel)
J.M.H. Thijssen, "Late-Medieval Natural Philosophy: Some Recent Trends in Scholarship", Recherches de théologie et de philosophie médiévales 67 (2000), pp. 158-190 (scans available on MyAriel)
International students who do not read Italian can agree with the lecturer on a complete bibliography in English.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The final examination consists of a 30 minutes oral exam, whose purpose is to test the knowledge and skills acquired by students. The grading system for the final exam is based on a 0-30 scale, 18 being the lowest passing mark. Evaluation criteria:
- knowledge of the texts and of the essays examined during the course (knowledge);
- ability to understand concepts and arguments (understanding)
- ability to critically evaluate different interpretations of texts and historical problems (development);
- use of language (exposition).
- knowledge of the texts and of the essays examined during the course (knowledge);
- ability to understand concepts and arguments (understanding)
- ability to critically evaluate different interpretations of texts and historical problems (development);
- use of language (exposition).
M-FIL/08 - HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor:
Bianchi Luca Maria Silvio Francesco
Professor(s)