POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Academic Year 2025/2026 - Teacher: FABRIZIO SCIACCAExpected Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
· Acquire a critical understanding of the concept of rights in domestic and global contexts, recognising universalist and ideological narratives in light of Il mito dei diritti.
Applying knowledge and understanding
· Apply philosophical and political categories to analyse the relations between norms, powers and sovereignty in international and transnational systems, assessing law as both a tool of regulation and an instrument of hegemony (Norme, diritti e poteri).
· Employ hermeneutical tools to interpret the problem of evil as a political and cultural category in contemporary literature, linking it to individual and collective responsibility (Il male nella letteratura contemporanea. Ricerche filosofiche).
Making judgements
· Formulate independent and well-argued judgements on key issues of modern politics (rights, sovereignty, evil), comparing theoretical approaches with textual and literary case studies.
Communication skills
· Present and defend complex philosophical–political positions in written and oral form, integrating theoretical and literary sources, and employing specialist vocabulary appropriate to an academic audience.
Learning skills
· Develop autonomous strategies for study and research (locating, evaluating and synthesising primary and secondary sources), to support further academic work (e.g. dissertations, research, policy analysis).
Course Structure
Required Prerequisites
No prior specialist knowledge of philosophy or law is required. However, it is strongly recommended that students:
possess a basic familiarity with key concepts in political philosophy, such as power, justice, liberty, law, and authority, whether acquired through formal study or independent reading;
are willing to engage with theoretical texts, some of which may be conceptually demanding, and to develop an appropriate philosophical vocabulary over the course of the module;
demonstrate the ability to read carefully and think critically, especially when analysing abstract arguments and participating in seminar discussions;
show a genuine interest in developing independent, well-reasoned thought, including the capacity to draw interdisciplinary connections (e.g. with politics, law, history, or literature).
Attendance of Lessons
Detailed Course Content
1 A Look at History. The Philosophical Roots of Individual Rights. Rights and Values. Philosophies of Rights. Liberty and Property. Target Groups and Target Rights. Rights and Political Mythology.
2 Imperatives and Norms. Reasons, Validity, and Consensus. Legality: Concept and Conceptions. Objectivity and Normativity. Law and Rights. Unnatural Rights. Can Values Be Translated into Rights? Altruism and Self-Care. Political Satire. Between Freedom and Power. Distance, Control, Surveillance. Thinking Power. The Power of Secrecy and the Secret of Power.
3 Evil and Art. Fall and Desire. Perfection and Limit. Origin and Evil. Mirror and Monster. Catastrophe and Dystopia. Good and Shadow. Absurd and Evil. Power and Circularity. Stranger and Otherness. Division and Identity.
Textbook Information
1 Fabrizio Sciacca, Il mito dei diritti, Liberilibri, Macerata 2025.
2 Fabrizio Sciacca, Norme, diritti e poteri, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2024.
3 L. Alfieri, R. Escobar, R. Gatti, F. Sciacca (a cura di), Il male nella letteratura contemporanea. Ricerche filosofiche, Giappichelli, Torino 2025
(10 chapters of the student’s choice)
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
The examination consists of an oral test designed to assess the student’s understanding of the course content, the ability to critically analyse the texts, and the appropriate use of philosophical and political vocabulary.