Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy examines the discipline through history, art, Western and Eastern models, critical thinking, and topics within the Italian context.

3 semester credits. This course tackles the puzzling questions raised by the rapid advancements of Artificial Intelligence. The course critically analyzes the theories of relevant philosophers, and it explores notions of consciousness, free will, and the very nature of intelligence itself, while evaluating the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI in warfare, job displacement, and human augmentation. Students will investigate the possibility of AI achieving personhood and ponder the meaning of creativity in an age of machine-generated content. The course comprises debates, thought experiments, and critical analysis of real-world scenarios, with the aim of challenging assumptions and questioning the future of humanity alongside intelligent machines.

3 semester credits. Starting from the dichotomy of logos-mythos in classical antiquity, this course will explore the evolution of philosophical thought in early modern Italy and its unique richness of trends: Christianity, Platonism, Neoplatonism, Aristotelianism, Hermeticism, and magic. The new vision of man and the universe, as well as the investigation of nature and the individual's cognition potential, addressed in connection with the progress of science, will be illustrated by the contributions of Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Pietro Pomponazzi, Agostino Nifo, Leonardo da Vinci, Giordano Bruno, and Galileo Galilei. The course includes field visits to locations such as the Secret Rooms and the Room of the Elements in the Palazzo Vecchio, and a visit to the Museum of the History of Science.

3 semester credits. This course focuses on performance art, with particular emphasis on the role and use of one’s mind and body during performance. Students will learn about the history of the discipline and pioneers in the field. They will also be encouraged to engage in, produce, and critique their own performances. This course thus relies on an approach which merges theory and practice to generate awareness, mindfulness, and creativity. The mind and body are framed as interlinking components, which are to be comprehended and directed in order to create art. Students will gain knowledge about the roles that factors such as time, space, place, nature, and audience have on performances, and will ultimately work on the creation of an extended final performance, to be presented at the end of the course.