Corso di laurea magistrale in Filosofia

This course requires students to have taken an introductory course in philosophy of science as a prerequisite

In line with the overall learning objectives of the MA program in Philosophy, this course will provide:

• knowledge of classical texts in the history of scientific and philosophical thought;
• understanding and contextualization of each text in its historical and theoretical dimensions, to be achieved through guided reading, discussion, and individual study;
• development of comprehension and critical skills in the analysis of the texts, especially of the ability to recognize and assess philosophical arguments and argumentative styles in them.

By the end of this course, students should successfully be able to:

• display a rudimentary knowledge of the early history of 20th century philosophy of space and time. 
• identify philosophical and conceptual issues that lurk behind scientific results.
• show an understanding of the early history of philosophy of science as separate discipline within philosophy more in general

Early philosophical interpretations of Quantum Mechanics

The UN has proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. This year marks the centennial of Heisenberg’s paper, which initiated the development of Quantum Mechanics—a theory that has profoundly impacted both physics and philosophy. Most of the literature on the philosophical reception of quantum mechanics focuses on the debates it sparked among professional physicists, particularly the legendary Einstein-Bohr debate. In this course, moving beyond the physicists’ perspective, we will investigate how professional philosophers such as Moritz Schlick, Philipp Frank, Karl Popper, Ernst Cassirer, Émile Meyerson, Grete Hermann, and Hans Reichenbach engaged with the new theory at the turn of 1930s.

Key topics include:

• Comparative analysis of different philosophical interpretations against the backdrop of major philosophical movements of that time, such as logical empiricism and neo-Kantianism.
• The role of causality in physics and the philosophical discourse of the time.
• The emergence of the problem of individuality in physics.

A balanced learning experience consisting of 26 hours of traditional classroom lectures and 10 hours of interactive seminars

The assessment will consist of the following components:

1. Active participation during the course 10%
2. Delivering an oral presentation during the course, which will account for 20% of the final grade.
3. Passing an online quiz with a minimum score of 7/10.
4. Writing an assignment of approximately 5,000-6,000 words, which will account for 70% of the final grade.

For students who are not attending the course, 1, 2 and 3 will be substituted with an oral examination focused on the mandatory readings.