OVERVIEW

The Philosophy of Knowledge course is an indispensable discipline and teaching, since we are human beings by virtue of the knowledge we possess. During this academic year, we will critically measure ourselves against the inescapable problems of the latter, both classical and contemporary. The pediment of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi reads 'know thyself'. This is an invitation, perhaps an order, to personal knowledge, to which each of us has privileged access. But it is not the only type of knowledge, and only the examination of the various types of knowledge can lead us to understand what knowledge is and why, deprived of knowledge, we could not aspire to humanity.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Not only does the philosophy of knowledge, along with metaphysics, constitute the major discipline of philosophy, but with Aristotle (First Book of Metaphysics) it also becomes exceedingly clear that if one does not aspire to know, one is not a human being. In the course through critical and cogent arguments, in dialogue with students, the main themes of the philosophy of knowledge will be developed (types of knowledge, definition of propositional knowledge, sources of knowledge, types of justification, skepticism, areas of knowledge), in an attempt to understand human beings in relation to and because of and to them, and we will focus on a particular author and a specific volume of him in order to understand its real specificities.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

TRAINING OBJECTIVES

To provide the necessary skills and tools to answer crucial questions about appearance and reality, through the consideration of both classical and contemporary theories, offering the possibility for students to complete individually, or in groups, what they consider to be missing or even wrong in each concept examined. To give particular depth to those questions that shed light on the nature of human beings and whose answers are bound up with conceptual analysis, good arguments and mental experiments, in order to clarify issues that are always topical.

In order to achieve these objectives, the lecturer will specify the topics and problems to be addressed on a weekly basis. Below is an extreme summary of them.

- Clarify the relationships between philosophy of knowledge and the minor disciplines

- Investigating types of knowledge

- Hint at the sources of knowledge

- Emphasise the relevance of propositional knowledge

- Answer the questions "What is truth?" and "Why is it the goal of human beings?".

- The relevance of justification

- Interpret the various types of good epistemic reasons or justifications

- Clarifying naturalisms

- Clarifying global scepticism

- Recent developments

At the end of the course, students will be equipped with the competence to deal rigorously and rationally with the major and inescapable themes and problems of the philosophy of knowledge, in connection with the problems affecting all those minor disciplines that must always resort, explicitly or implicitly, to the notion of knowledge itself.

PREREQUISITES

None

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal, with the course always taught by the lecturer. Films related to the programme are used in order to comment philosophically and critically on them in class, extracting from them contents that an ordinary spectator would be incapable of. Students are introduced to the profession of philosopher by giving lectures in class, which will supplement a large part of the examination.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Students are expected to be able to address and analyse the main themes of knowledge.

Students are expected to show the ability to support and examine theories of truth, analyses of knowledge, analyses of justification, global scepticism, epistemological naturalism, and contextualism.

Students are expected to delve into the Cartesian Meditations (of the student's choice, complete with Objections and Replies), also in order to understand the best way of doing philosophy, the discursive way that takes place through objections and replies, and is owed, not for nothing to Socrates - the way is frequently applied during lectures, adopting exclusively the methodologies of analytical philosophy, i.e. international.

NB: Students wishing to biannualise the course should contact the lecturer in order to agree together on a specific customised programme, hopefully aimed at the preparation of the dissertation. Students intending to graduate with the lecturer should discuss this with her at the end of the first year, with a precise idea of the topic to be developed in the thesis.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

For students attending the 6 cfu course

A text of your choice from:

Descartes, Metaphysical Meditations, Laterza

Hetheringthon (ed. by), Epistemology, Bloomsbury

Irwin (ed. by), The Matrix and philosophy, Open Court

O'Brien, The theory of knowledge, Polity

Irwin (ed. by), The Matrix and philosophy, Open Court

Vanni Rovighi, Gnoseologia, Morcelliana Editrice, Brescia

Vanni Rovighi, Philosophy of Knowledge, edited by Alessandro Ghisalberti, ESD, Bologna

Vassallo (ed.), Philosophy of Knowledge, Codex

Vassallo, Theory of Knowledge, Laterza

For students attending the 9 cfu course

Two texts to choose from:

Descartes, Metaphysical Meditations. Objections and Answers, Laterza

Goldman, Epistemology and cognition, Harward

Hetheringthon (ed. by), Epistemology, Bloomsbury

Irwin (ed. by), The Matrix and philosophy, Open Court

O'Brien, The theory of knowledge, Polity

Vanni Rovighi, Gnoseologia, Morcelliana Editrice, Brescia

Vanni Rovighi, Philosophy of knowledge, edited by Alessandro Ghisalberti, ESD

Vassallo (ed.), Philosophy of Knowledge, Codex

Wittgenstein, Of Certainty. The philosophical analysis of common sense, Einaudi.

Vassallo, Theory of Knowledge, Laterza

Vassallo, Per sentito dire. Knowledge and testimony, Feltrinelli

Vassallo & Leardi, Fatti non foste a viver come bruti, Mimesis

Further, possible bibliography will be provided in class, together with the possibility of actual lectures, both useful for the purpose of the thesis. On these last points, ample and free choice is given.

For non-attending students

Descartes, Metaphysical Meditations. Obiezioni e risposte, Laterza.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

september 2025

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Attendees: in-class presentation (20 points out of 30) assesses the ability to apply the analytical and conceptual tools proper to philosophical reasoning in the discussion of novel problems, with particular reference to the issues raised by contemporary epistemology, as well as to independently propose philosophically relevant connections, arguments and counter-arguments; oral examination (10 points out of 30) assesses the ability to understand, explain and synthesize advanced texts in philosophy of knowledge. 

NON-attendees: the oral exam assesses the ability to understand, explain and synthesize advanced texts in philosophy of knowledge (10 points out of 30); Apply analytical and conceptual tools proper to philosophical reasoning in the discussion of novel problems, with particular reference to the issues raised by contemporary epistemology (10 points out of 30); independently propose philosophically relevant connections, arguments and counter-arguments (10 points out of 30).