CINEMA AND TEACHING OF PHILOSOPHY: AN OPERATIVE PROPOSAL

The following article explores the relation between cinema and philosophy, paying particular attention to the way movies can contribute to philosophical understanding at secondary school level. A practical example is provided concerning the use of Pasolini medium-lenght film Che cosa sono le nuvole? to introduce students to the reading of some excerpts from Spinoza's Ethics. The proposed didactic unit deals mainly with ethics since it revolves around the theme of human affects as it emerges from both Pasolini and Spinoza's works. It also raises questions of aesthetics deriving from the reading of Pasolini's essay Il cinema di poesia.