The course presents the outlines of the History of Political Thought from Ancient times to the state being contemporary. The analysis of the most remarkable authors on political power, its characteristics and forms will be examined in depth. They will be studied through a historical and problematic contextualization. Therefore, the history of the debate on politics will be reconstructed by stressing its links to the socio-political contexts and its ideological implications.
The course aims at allowing students to know and to comprehend the crucial elements of the History of Political Thought in the period that spans from the Ancient times till the 20th century, through the contextualization and the analysis of the more significan theories.
Traditional lectures
1) Politics in ancient Greece
2) Socrates
3) Plato
4) Aristotle
5) Cicero
6) Religion and politics: Christianity
7) Augustine of Hippo
8)Thomas Aquinas
9) Dante, Marsilius
10) Machiavelli
11) Bodin, Suarez
12) The “ragion di Stato”
13) Hobbes
14) Spinoza
15) Locke
16) Vico
17) Montesquieu
18) Rousseau
19) Hume e Smith
20) The Federalist Papers
21) Burke
22) Kant
23) Hegel
24) Owen
25) Saint-Simon
26) Constant
27) Tocqueville
28) Rosmini
29) Mazzini
30) Proudhon
31) Marx, Engels
32) Stuart Mill
Suggested readings
- M. D’ADDIO, Storia delle dottrine politiche, Genova, ECIG, 2002.
- C. MORGANTI, Comunità e Stato, Europa e Occidente. La politica secondo Guardini, Firenze, Centro Editoriale Toscano, (in corso di stampa).
Students who do not attend the course must study one of these supplementary texts:
- A. CATANZARO - S. LAGI (a cura di), Monisms and Pluralisms in the History of Political Thought, Edizioni Epoké, Novi Ligure (AL), 2016.
- F. FALCHI, Giuseppe Mazzini: la democrazia europea e i diritti delle donne, Firenze, Centro Editoriale Toscano, 2011.
Ricevimento: Wednesdays 3-5 p.m. at Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche (DISPO) Piazzale E- Brignole 3 a, Torre centrale (3rd floor)
ANDREA CATANZARO (President)
ALBERTO DE SANCTIS
CARLO MORGANTI
Second semester
Oral exam
The exam is aimed at assessing the acquired skills by the student in analysing political ideas and political theories from a critical perspective and in using them in comprehending contemporary world politics.
