Good general knowledge of 20th century European philosophy
The course aims to outline the peculiar religious philosophy of an Author like Cioran, who, although professing himself always fundamentally atheist, was like few thinkers of the twentieth century attracted by the religious phenomenon, of which he practiced every heresiological variation. Particular attention will be paid to the presence of neo-Gnostic themes in Cioran's thought, both in line with the dualistic tradition of contemporary Romanian thought (from L. Blaga to Ioan P. Couliano), and with regard to the contemporary Gnostic revival of European thought in general (just think of an author like J. Taubes). In this way, the course will provide a significant overview of some of the crucial issues of the philosophy of religion of the twentieth century and thus make students able to orient themselves in this fundamental issue.
Atheism and religion in Emil Cioran's thought
E. Cioran, L’inconveniente d’essere nati, Adelphi, Milano 1991 E. Cioran, il funesto Demiurgo, Adelphi, Milano 1986 A. Di Gennaro, P. Giustiniani (a cura di), Dio e il nulla. La religiosità atea di E. Cioran, Mimesis, Milano 2019
1) lessons; 2) seminar exercises on particularly significant texts included in the program
1) oral exam, in which will be tested the student's ability to orientate himself in the historical-ideal context of the period in which the author worked, to grasp the developments of the themes dealt with in contemporary philosophical culture, and to argue the basic contents of the course; or: 2) discussion of a report agreed with the teacher, concerning a particularly qualifying aspect of the course, aimed at verifying the mastery of the student to explain in writing the topics that most interested him
The course will start on March 2, 2020 with the following schedule: Monday 14-16 Tuesday 14-16 Thursday 10-12 office hour on Thursday 12-13
The exam program is the same for attending and non-attending students. In the office hours the teacher is available for explanations and suggestions; non-attending students who cannot meet the teacher are invited to contact him by email (giancarlo.baffo@unisi.it)