Philosophy

Philosophies of the Middle Ages. The thought of Peter Abelard The course will be divided into two parts. The first will focus on the most important authors in the history of medieval Latin thought, their works, the institutions that gave rise to them, and some of the key concepts within them. The period covered will roughly range from the 5th to the 14th century, and the focus will be on highlighting moments of continuity and rupture with ancient and late antique philosophical traditions: what was lost, what was preserved and adapted to the new Christian context, and what was recovered over the centuries, also thanks to the mediation of Arab and Jew thinkers. A second part of the course is dedicated to the figure, works, and thought of Peter Abelard. Born in 1079 in Le Pallet, Brittany, and died in 1142, he had a tumultuous life. His writing and teaching activities were intense: first as a teacher in the city schools, then in the monasteries where he lived after becoming a monk (ca 1117). His works span a wide variety of genres and deal primarily with logic, ethics, and theology: disciplines that, in Abelard's view, are closely intertwined. Of great originality and subtlety, his thought aroused opposition from prominent figures in the religious life and institutions of the time, such as Bernard of Clairvaux, so much so that he was twice condemned for heresy in 1121 and 1140. During the lessons, reading excerpts from Abelard's writings, we will focus in particular on his theory of universals as facts of language and not real entities (nominalism); on his foundation of ethics in the interiority (intention) rather than in the exteriority (action); on his conception of God as the 'supreme good' and on its implications with respect to the perception of the world and of history (metaphysical optimism).

General knowledge of the history of philosophy with special focus on medieval philosophy.

General part: 1. Luisa Valente, con la collaborazione di Massimiliano Lenzi, Filosofie del medioevo. Essere, felicità, linguaggio, Le Monnier Università, Milano, 2023 (selection of chapters that will be publiched on the classroom platform) Monografic part: 2. A. Crocco, Abelardo. L’altro versante del medioevo, Napoli, Liguori, 1979 (a PDF copy will be made available). 3. J. Jolivet, Abelardo, Dialettica e mistero, Milano, Jaca Book, 1996 (a PDF copy will be made available). 4. Either a dossier of Abelardian texts with Italian translation and other materials that will be illustrated during the lessons and will be made available on the Classroom platform; or Pietro Abelardo, Teologia del sommo bene, trad. M. Rossini, Milano, Rusconi, 1996; or Pietro Abelardo, Etica o Conosci te stesso, trad. e introduzione di Mario Dal Pra, Firenze, La Nuova Italia, 1976 (the book can be found in the Library). NB: Students who are taking an exam worth only 6 credits may prepare only the general part of the course or, if they have already taken an exam on the general part, only the monographic part.

Attending the course is highly recommended

The evaluation consists of oral examinations. The following will be assessed: 1. Historical, geographical and institutional context of the authors in question and their place in the context of the various philosophical currents of the period under consideration (1-5 points). 2 Knowledge and understanding of the texts covered in the course; in particular, students' ability to engage with a philosophical text and critically analyse specific aspects of it will be assessed (points 1-15). 2. The students' ability to express themselves and to master the vocabulary (points 1-10). It is possible, and recommended, to divide the 12-credit exam into two parts: a first oral examination on the general part only, followed by a second examination on the monographic part. The examination on the general part may also be taken at the end of the first semester, as an ongoing assessment. Alternatively, the two examinations may be taken in two different 'appelli' during the same 'sessioni' or in two different exam 'sessioni'. The exam results will be recorded at the end of the second examination. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

- J. Marenbon, The Philosophy of Peter Abelard, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999. - J. Marenbon, Abelard in four dimensions. A Twelfth Century Philosopher in His Context and Ours, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana 2013. - G. Allegro, Teologia e metodo in Pietro Abelardo, OSM, Palermo, 2010. - B. Hellemans (ed.), Rethinking Peter Abelard. A collection of critical essays, Leiden, Brill, 2014

Inglese: Lectures with reconstruction of the context and reading, analysis and commentary of the texts. Reference will be made to the original texts. Active student participation is highly encouraged and will be stimulated throughout the lessons.