Corso di laurea magistrale in Filosofia

The course is intended for all students at the Laurea Magistrale (MA) level.

The aim is to acquire knowledge of the topics of Practical Reason. Present day practical philosophy is characterized by two trends: a convergence of the theory of practical rationality on the one hand and ethics on the other. But is also characterized by a wide spectrum of divergent accounts, reaching from decision-theoretic conceptions, over Aristotelian and communitarian, Kantian and universalist, to postmodern and anti-rationalist ones. The account presented in this course integrates different trends and rejects reductionist accounts in establishing a new and original paradigm that is called structural rationality. It overcomes the conflict between communitarian and universalist accounts, shows how the decision-theoretic conceptual frame can be used in order to clarify ethical questions and is based on a version of ethical realism regarding the status of practical reasons.

The course aims at the enhancement of:

• student’s understanding of the concepts and theories discussed in the course;
• analytical and argumentative capacities in discussing aspects of practical reason;
• knowledge regarding different and competing accounts of contemporary practical philosophy;
• philosophical judgment regarding some topic freely chosen from the spectrum of themes discussed in the course.

The course consists of 36 hours, six hours a week for six weeks. (mon/tue/wed 8-10). The structure:

1. introduction
2. practical reason and rational choice
3. instrumental rationality
4. methodological individualism
5. cooperation
6. rationality and cooperation
7. collective intentionality
8. collective
9. justice as collective rationality
10. contractual and structural rationality
11. prohairesis
12. incoherences of decision theory
13. collective irrationality
14. structural intentions
15. structural agency
16. agent causality
17. freedom and determination in agency
18. moral luck
19. token and type
20. diachronic structure
21. interpersonal structure
22. structural practice
23. self-control and self-constraint
24. critique of consequentialism
25. impartiality
26. individuality and individual rights
27. integrity and pluralism
28. fragmentation of value and moral dilemmas
29. the status of (practical) reasons
30. normativity, objectivity and non-algorithmicity
31. autonomy
32. metaphysics of human agency
33. freedom and responsibility
34. authorship and reasons
35. summary
36. concluding discussion.

The evaluation will be based on a written essay of roughly 10 pages that shows the learning outcomes. The final grade is based on a scale of thirty.

The course on “Practical Reason” presents my own account of practical reason and criticizes competing theories. It is based on a book manuscript that will be published in German (de Gruyter) and English (Princeton Univ. Press) soon. I am therefore interested in critical discussions. The course is about philosophical research. It is led by the idea that practical philosophy is to be understood as the project to clarify practical reason respectively practical rationality. The focus is on contemporary practical philosophy.

During the course and on a weekly basis students will receive parts of the manuscript “A Theory of Practical Reason” on which the course is based.