Course program
Kant and the Metaphysics of metaphysics
According to Carducci's well-known verse, just as Robespierre beheaded the king, Kant beheaded God. Immanuel Kant's critical thinking marks, historically, the end of the possibility of the fundamental branch of philosophy that had been called metaphysics. With the Critique of Pure Reason, in fact, it is sanctioned that the ontology and rational theology of the tradition are structurally impossible. Not surprisingly, Kant is seen by his contemporaries as the “destroyer of everything”. Yet, Kant himself had confessed to being “in love” with metaphysics, and again and again he continues to engage with it. Rather than a destruction of this discipline, his transcendental philosophy thus seems directed toward a reorienting of it. According to one of his expressions, Kant seeks a “metaphysics of metaphysics”, that means to build metaphysics on the wake of the critique, and to steer it to its true purposes. The so-called metaphysica propria is to be found in the practical sphere and in particular in historical development and progress towards the highest good. It therefore abandons theory and ontology in order to turn to ethics, and to be realized in history, between politics and religion.
Prerequisites
General knowledge of the history of philosophy with special focus on modern philosophy.
Books
- I. Kant, Sul tema del concorso bandito dalla Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Berlino: Quali sono i reali progressi compiuti dalla metafisica in Germania dai tempi di Wolff? in qualsiasi traduzione italiana accreditata, ad esempio in Scritti sul criticismo, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1991, pp. 149-238.
- F.V. Tommasi, Metaphysica propria. Kant e il trascendentale storico, L.S. Olschki 2025 (in corso di stampa)
Frequency
attending the course is highly recommended
Exam mode
The evaluation consists of an oral examination. The following will be assessed (also during the course): 1. knowledge and understanding of the texts covered by the course, from their most general aspects to their details; in particular, the students' ability to confront a philosophical text and to critically analyse specific aspects of it will be assessed (evaluation points 1-15). 2. The students' ability to express themselves and to master the vocabulary (evaluation points 1-10). 3. Knowledge of the historical context (in relation to the thought of the authors covered by the course and in relation to the history of philosophy in general) (evaluation points 1-5).
Bibliography
Reading guides and introductions to the thought and specific works of the authors on the programme
Lesson mode
Lectures with reconstruction of the context and reading, analysis and commentary of the texts. Reference will be made to the original texts. Active student participation is highly encouraged and will be stimulated throughout the lessons.
