Philosophy

This course offers a examination of Korean culture through Eastern philosophy and understanding Eastern philosophy through Korean popular culture. It covers the cultures and thoughts of various Asian traditions as well as a wide range of topics, ranging from Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism to Korean folk beliefs. The areas surveyed in this class include South and Southeast Asia (India, Ceylon, Myanmar, Thailand) as well as East Asia (Korea, China, Japan). 

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. This course addresses topics and texts in moral philosophy at an advanced level. At the end of the course students are expected to possess the main abilities required from a professional moral philosopher. These include being able to: appraise theories and justify one's own position about them; critically analyze philosophical texts, both from classical and recent authors; elaborate on them; and in an original manner, provide fresh points of view and good working hypotheses to address them. Students are expected to be able to analyze knowledge received in the ethical and meta-ethical field, and to reconstruct it on an original basis. Moreover, they are expected to be able to write on moral topics in a professional, opinionated, and thorough way, and to effectively communicate their views to an audience. The topic for the course varies each term. For the most up to date topic, access the University of Bologna Online Course Catalog. The topic for fall 2023 is: J.M. COETZEE’S FICTION. The course explores the philosophical significance of novelist and essayist John Maxwell Coetzee’s oeuvre, especially in connection with his ethical stance on the treatment of animals. Students have the opportunity to discuss, more generally, his critical attitude toward philosophical argument and toward reason as an exclusive tool for moral guidance and intelligent experience of our environment. After introducing, in broad outline, Coetzee’s personality and published work, the course devotes a few lessons to the philosophical subfield of animal ethics. The main philosophical approaches are outlined. Once equipped with some conceptual and historical background, the course turns to analyzing some of the key texts in this connection, especially Coetzee’s 1999 “novella of ideas” THE LIVES OF ANIMALS, and his subsequent and related novel ELIZABETH COSTELLO. Secondary literature is reviewed and put to use.

In this course we are surveying ideas and theories on the human being and on core aspects of human life across diverse religious and philosophical traditions, including more recent scientific accounts. We consider classic discussions involving issues such as the body and the soul, the relationship of humans with the world, notions of time and history, freedom and determinism, gender, the tension between the society and the individual, human religiosity, human knowledge, human morality and the value of humans. For this purpose, we make use of a selection of the greatest classic and modern texts, including literary and artistic works, and samples of popular discourses on the topics considered. The course aims at providing insights on implicit conceptions that underpin many contemporary discussions, discourses and narratives about different aspects of human existence.

The Enlightenment marks for many the birth of the Modern Age and evokes ideals of religious tolerance, political emancipation, and human betterment. But how were such ideals expressed and what were their limits? This is a course about European thought from the end of the seventeenth century up until the time of the French Revolution. The course reads a number of primary texts from different parts of eighteenth-century Europe, texts that articulate different conceptions of humanity, society, and the state, about religion and the church, commerce, and the economy. This course also discusses the impact history of the Enlightenment and its uses in contemporary debates.

Ethical choices are unavoidable in business. This course presents how to articulate your options when confronted with an ethical dilemma in business, and make well- informed judgements about the right thing to do. The course considers a range of problems, from issues that could arise in a first job to questions of business regulation that you may one day face as a leader in commerce or government. In each case, the course challenges and assists you to recognize ethical problems in practical situations, understand the possible solutions, and make reasoned decisions. Assessment: coursework (40%), and final exam (60%).