Part of the course will regard a general historical reconstruction of western philosophical movements and theories, with a special focus on some of the most influential currents (such as “idealism”, “materialism”, “rationalism”, “nihilism” and “existentialism”). Each session will be supported by the reading of some of the most representative thinkers in each historical frame. The course will focus on practical applications of philosophical thinking, in the main fields of ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, politics and science. One or more films are envisaged, depending on time schedule.
TEXT BOOK:
Thomas Nagel, What does it all mean? A very short introduction to philosophy
Oxford University Press 1987
Reference TEXTS:
D.H. Wells, In the Country of the Blind
G. Skirrbekk, History of Western Thought, Routledge 2001.
FILMS
Enjoy Poverty, by Renzo Martens
The Wave, by Dennis Gansel
Excerpts from Matrix by A. and L. Wachowsky
The Yes Men (library)
The Yes Men fix the world (library)