PHILOSOPHICAL HERMENEUTICS II

Philosophical Hermeneutics belongs to the sector of Theoretical Philosophy and is focussed on the issues related to human interpretation, not intended as a cognitive representation but rather as a thinking experience of human beings as they are in the world. Philosophical Hermeneutics is not a mere discipline and transcends any simply methodological and epistemological problem relating to interpretative activity.
There are at least three crucial points decisive of Philosophical Hermeneutics within the Philosophy course:
(1) Philosophical Hermeneutics vividly rethinks the great questions of the philosophical tradition;
(2) Philosophical Hermeneutics insists on the concrete link of philosophical studies with the real existence of humans;
(3) Philosophical Hermeneutics cultivates the sense of the multiplicity and mobility of meaning of the discourses, especially in important texts.

Students are expected to learn how to deal with the polysemic and stratified character of the great texts of the past, considered classics.
Students are expected to learn to experience the distance of what belongs to philosophical (and literary and religious) discourses without therefore rushing to refer everything back to their own private and personal experience.

The course is not recommended for first-year students and presupposes an acquired knowledge and mastery of the crucial categories and issues of the Western philosophical tradition.

What is philosophy? What is the action that philosophical praxis consists of? The answer of philosophical hermeneutics.

Interpretation, experience, Bildung. Philosophy does not arise from philosophy, but from/in the experience of the lifeworld in which we are situated.
In these second thirty hours, we will analyze some works by thinkers who, albeit in different ways, belong to the constellation of philosophical hermeneutics. At the center of attention are phenomena such as linguisticity (Gadamer), signification (Derrida), and the narrative dimension (Ricoeur), but also Bildung (Hegel, Gadamer, Löwith).

Karl Löwith, "The Hegelian Concept of Bildung";
H.G. Gadamer, "Truth and Method 1 and 2," selected passages;
Jacques Derrida, "On Grammatology" (1967), selected passages;
Paul Ricoeur, "Life: A Story in Search of a Narrator".

The final exam will consist of an oral interview lasting twenty to thirty minutes and will focus on issues that emerged during the course.

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

Regarding the grading, the exam will be marked on a scale ranging from 0 to 30. The minimum passing grade is 18. Honors ("lode") will be granted only for exceptional capacity of judgment and excellent knowledge of the topics under evaluation.

Lectures will give space to the direct reading of texts, projected on screen, and to a wide interlocution with the students.

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion

Ca' Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development