ID:
500331
Duration (hours):
36
CFU:
6
SSD:
STORIA DELLA FILOSOFIA
Storia della filosofia
Year:
2026
Overview
Date/time interval
Secondo Semestre (22/02/2027 - 25/05/2027)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course will enable students to acquire historical and philosophical knowledge of the fundamental currents of Renaissance thought and to familiarize themselves with the main historiographical issues relating to the concept of the Renaissance itself, especially in relation to that of Modernity. By intertwining the study of well-known authors with that of authors often ignored in tory of philosophy history modules, the course will allow students to reflect on the criteria for the formation of a philosophical canon. At the end of the course, students will be able to interpret a range of diverse philosophical texts, recognizing the specificities of Renaissance thought and framing them within the broader development of the history of philosophy.
Course Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of the history of philosophy is required. Students are encouraged to contact the lecturer if necessary.
Teaching Methods
Combination of lectures and seminar sessions, with the use of PowerPoint presentations. The lecturer will also plan a visit to the Library of the Collegio Ghislieri in Pavia to view ancient texts relevant to the course topics (in particular on alchemy). The participation of invited speakers will further enrich the programme.
Assessment Methods
Acquired knowledge will be assessed through an oral exam on the topics covered in class and the contents of the texts listed in the bibliography (including materials uploaded to KIRO). The lecturer will evaluate the ability to present convincing arguments and use precise terminology. Students might be asked to read and comment on an excerpt.
Texts
Tesi per l’esame (edizioni diverse sono da concordare preventivamente con la docente):
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, *The Dignity of Man*, edited by Raphael Ebgi, Einaudi 2021. The translation by Pier Cesare Bori, published in Pluralità delle vie. Alle origini del ‘Discorso’ sulla dignità umana di Pico della Mirandola, Feltrinelli 2002, may also be used (the Italian text is available free of charge at: https://web.archive.org/web/20250114123639/https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/pico/text/ov.html); or one of the various reprints of Eugenio Garin’s classic translation: Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, De hominis dignitate; Heptaplus; De ente et uno, edited by Eugenio Garin, Vallecchi 1942; a scanned version is available free of charge to registered users on the website https://archive.org/details/dehominisdignita0000euge).
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)Giordano Bruno, La cabala del cavallo Pegaseo, in id., Dialoghi filosofici italiani, a cura di Michele Cilberto, Mondadori 2000
Montaigne, Apologia di Raimondo di Sebonda, in id., Saggi, a cura di Franca Garavini e André Tournon, Bompiani 2012
Rorario, Gli animali ragionano meglio degli uomini, a cura di Laura Carotti, Edizioni della Normale 2015: https://edizioni.sns.it/prodotto/gli-animali-pensano-meglio-degli-uomini/
Letteratura secondaria, a scelta tra:
Cecilia Muratori, Renaissance Physiognomics, Cambridge University Press 2026 (Open access)
Stefano Perfetti, Animali pensati nella filosofia tra medioevo e prima età moderna, ETS 2012
Further essays and extracts will be uploaded on the KIRO platform.
Students not attending the course are also required to write a short essay (approximately 3,000 words) in which they present an interpretation of the distinction between human beings and animals as set out in one of the primary sources listed above.
Contents
Renaissance Animals
The history of Renaissance philosophy is populated by various animals: the chameleon made famous by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s ‘Oration’; the cat that teases Michel de Montaigne (is it the philosopher who plays with the cat, or the cat who plays with the philosopher?); and, furthermore, the donkey that frequently features in Giordano Bruno’s philosophy. The very idea of the Renaissance is often linked, more or less directly, to the definition of a boundary between human beings and animals, which frequently coincides with a certain conception of rationality—one that may link humans to animals in terms of certain intellectual capacities, or else draw a clear distinction between them. Building on the legacy of classical positions, such as that of Aristotle, Renaissance philosophers examined the place of human beings in nature and in the cosmos as a whole, whilst also considering theories that would become prevalent in the modern era, such as the ‘animal-machine’ theory. This course considers a central theme in Renaissance philosophy, guiding students through the reading of classics (Pico della Mirandola, Montaigne, Bruno) and the discovery of lesser-known authors (Rorario).
The history of Renaissance philosophy is populated by various animals: the chameleon made famous by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s ‘Oration’; the cat that teases Michel de Montaigne (is it the philosopher who plays with the cat, or the cat who plays with the philosopher?); and, furthermore, the donkey that frequently features in Giordano Bruno’s philosophy. The very idea of the Renaissance is often linked, more or less directly, to the definition of a boundary between human beings and animals, which frequently coincides with a certain conception of rationality—one that may link humans to animals in terms of certain intellectual capacities, or else draw a clear distinction between them. Building on the legacy of classical positions, such as that of Aristotle, Renaissance philosophers examined the place of human beings in nature and in the cosmos as a whole, whilst also considering theories that would become prevalent in the modern era, such as the ‘animal-machine’ theory. This course considers a central theme in Renaissance philosophy, guiding students through the reading of classics (Pico della Mirandola, Montaigne, Bruno) and the discovery of lesser-known authors (Rorario).
Course Language
Italian
Degrees
Degrees
PHILOSOPHY
Master’s Degree
2 years
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