Historical Studies

Non-being and nothingness, logical strategies, ontological strategies: Plato, Clauberg, Meinong The course aims to examine, starting from Plato’s Sophist, which to some extent represents, in the wake of Parmenides, its origin, the problem of non-being and nothingness: is it possible to pronounce these expressions and think these notions? And, in any case, what does it mean and what does it imply to pronounce these expressions and think these notions? Three answers to these questions will be considered next, which appear, on the one hand, to be united by a similar logical-ontological context, but which, on the other hand, follow alternative routes: firstly, that of Plato in ihe Sophist; then that of Johannes Clauberg (1622-1665), in his Metaphysica de ente, well representative of 17th-century ontological doctrines; finally, that of Alexius Meinong (1853-1920) in his Theory of Objects.

It is demanded an advanced knowledge of the history of philosophy (partic. IV b.C.-XIII a.C. centuries), on the basis of an advanced level handbook. It is also needed: a mastery of the basic philosophical terminology.

1. Primary texts: - Platone, Sofista, a cura di F. Fronterotta, BUR, Milano 2007. - J. Clauberg, Metaphysica de ente, Amstelodami, apud D. Elzevirium, 1664, quindi in Opera Omnia Philosophica, Amstelodami, P. et I. Blaeu, 1691 ; rist. anastatica Hildesheim, Georg Olms, 1968, I vol. (il testo sarà fornito dal docente). - A. Meinong, Über Gegenstandstheorie (1904), in A. Meinong. Untersuchungen zur Gegenstandstheorie und Psychologie, Barth, Leipzig, pp. 1-50; ora in A. Meinong (1968-1978). Gesamtausgabe, 7 voll., edd. R. Haller, R. Kindinger, R.M. Chisholm, Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz 1968-1978, Vol. 2 (1971): Abhandlungen zur Erkenntnistheorie und Gegenstandstheorie, pp. 481-530 (trad. it. di V. Raspa. Trieste: Parnaso, 2002; trad. it. di E. Coccia. Macerata: Quodlibet 2003). 2. Secondary texts: One text of your choice: - G. Sasso, L’essere e le differenze. Sul Sofista di Platone, Mulino, Bologna 1991. - D. O’Brien, Le non-être. Deux études sur le Sophiste de Platon, Academia Verlag, Sankt Augustin 1995. One text of your choice: - M. Savini, Johannes Clauberg. Methodus cartesiana et ontologie, Vrin, Paris 2011. - A. Ragni, Johannes Clauberg and the Search for the Initium Philosophiae: The Recovery of (Cartesian) Metaphysics, in S. Nadler, T. M. Schmaltz and D. Antoine-Mahut (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Descartes and Cartesianism, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2019, pp. 465-80. One text of your choice: - M. Lenoci, La teoria della conoscenza in Alexius Meinong. Oggetto, giudizio, assunzioni, Vita e Pensiero, Milano 1972. - V. Raspa, Teoria dell’oggetto, in M. Ferraris, a cura di. Storia dell’ontologia, Bompiani, Milano 2008, pp. 210-240. 3. A general knowledge of the History of Philosophy (IV b. C. -XVIII a.C. cent.) is requested: see the following volumes: - F. Ferrari, Filosofia antica, Le Monnier-Mondadori, Firenze-Milano 2024. - L. Valente (in collaborazione con M. Lenzi), Le filosofie del Medioevo, Le Monnier-Mondadori, Firenze-Milano 2023. - G. Belgioioso, Storia della filosofia moderna, Le Monnier-Mondadori, Firenze-Milano 2018.

Attending the course is highly recommended.

The evaluation will depend on an oral exam about the texts indicated in the program, that will take place in the ordinary sessions, in which the student will have to demonstrate that he/she knows the content of the texts dealt with and is able to give a clear account of them, correctly mastering the specialist vocabulary used by the authors, identifying the most relevant theoretical points and discussing them critically. With more details, students must show: 1. Knowledge of the content of the texts; 2. Skill of communicating it and mastery of the technical terminology of the various studied philosophers; 3. Ability to grasp the main issues and to discuss them critically; 4. Ability to elaborate an argument about the treated issues in a personal way. 1. and 2. are necessary conditions in order to pass the exam. A final grade superior to 27 will be given to students who reach all the goals.

It will be suggested during the course.

The course will consist of a careful study of the texts indicated in the program, which will be examined and commented in the light of the critical and historiographical tradition, making use of secondary literature even in foreign languages.

Non-being and nothingness, logical strategies, ontological strategies: Plato, Clauberg, Meinong The course aims to examine, starting from Plato’s Sophist, which to some extent represents, in the wake of Parmenides, its origin, the problem of non-being and nothingness: is it possible to pronounce these expressions and think these notions? And, in any case, what does it mean and what does it imply to pronounce these expressions and think these notions? Three answers to these questions will be considered next, which appear, on the one hand, to be united by a similar logical-ontological context, but which, on the other hand, follow alternative routes: firstly, that of Plato in ihe Sophist; then that of Johannes Clauberg (1622-1665), in his Metaphysica de ente, well representative of 17th-century ontological doctrines; finally, that of Alexius Meinong (1853-1920) in his Theory of Objects.

It is demanded an advanced knowledge of the history of philosophy (partic. IV b.C.-XIII a.C. centuries), on the basis of an advanced level handbook. It is also needed: a mastery of the basic philosophical terminology.

1. Primary texts: - Platone, Sofista, a cura di F. Fronterotta, BUR, Milano 2007. - J. Clauberg, Metaphysica de ente, Amstelodami, apud D. Elzevirium, 1664, quindi in Opera Omnia Philosophica, Amstelodami, P. et I. Blaeu, 1691 ; rist. anastatica Hildesheim, Georg Olms, 1968, I vol. (il testo sarà fornito dal docente). - A. Meinong, Über Gegenstandstheorie (1904), in A. Meinong. Untersuchungen zur Gegenstandstheorie und Psychologie, Barth, Leipzig, pp. 1-50; ora in A. Meinong (1968-1978). Gesamtausgabe, 7 voll., edd. R. Haller, R. Kindinger, R.M. Chisholm, Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz 1968-1978, Vol. 2 (1971): Abhandlungen zur Erkenntnistheorie und Gegenstandstheorie, pp. 481-530 (trad. it. di V. Raspa. Trieste: Parnaso, 2002; trad. it. di E. Coccia. Macerata: Quodlibet 2003). 2. Secondary texts: One text of your choice: - G. Sasso, L’essere e le differenze. Sul Sofista di Platone, Mulino, Bologna 1991. - D. O’Brien, Le non-être. Deux études sur le Sophiste de Platon, Academia Verlag, Sankt Augustin 1995. One text of your choice: - M. Savini, Johannes Clauberg. Methodus cartesiana et ontologie, Vrin, Paris 2011. - A. Ragni, Johannes Clauberg and the Search for the Initium Philosophiae: The Recovery of (Cartesian) Metaphysics, in S. Nadler, T. M. Schmaltz and D. Antoine-Mahut (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Descartes and Cartesianism, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2019, pp. 465-80. One text of your choice: - M. Lenoci, La teoria della conoscenza in Alexius Meinong. Oggetto, giudizio, assunzioni, Vita e Pensiero, Milano 1972. - V. Raspa, Teoria dell’oggetto, in M. Ferraris, a cura di. Storia dell’ontologia, Bompiani, Milano 2008, pp. 210-240. 3. A general knowledge of the History of Philosophy (IV b. C. -XVIII a.C. cent.) is requested: see the following volumes: - F. Ferrari, Filosofia antica, Le Monnier-Mondadori, Firenze-Milano 2024. - L. Valente (in collaborazione con M. Lenzi), Le filosofie del Medioevo, Le Monnier-Mondadori, Firenze-Milano 2023. - G. Belgioioso, Storia della filosofia moderna, Le Monnier-Mondadori, Firenze-Milano 2018.

Attending the course is highly recommended.

The evaluation will depend on an oral exam about the texts indicated in the program, that will take place in the ordinary sessions, in which the student will have to demonstrate that he/she knows the content of the texts dealt with and is able to give a clear account of them, correctly mastering the specialist vocabulary used by the authors, identifying the most relevant theoretical points and discussing them critically. With more details, students must show: 1. Knowledge of the content of the texts; 2. Skill of communicating it and mastery of the technical terminology of the various studied philosophers; 3. Ability to grasp the main issues and to discuss them critically; 4. Ability to elaborate an argument about the treated issues in a personal way. 1. and 2. are necessary conditions in order to pass the exam. A final grade superior to 27 will be given to students who reach all the goals.

It will be suggested during the course.

The course will consist of a careful study of the texts indicated in the program, which will be examined and commented in the light of the critical and historiographical tradition, making use of secondary literature even in foreign languages.