Course Details

History and Philosophy of Technology

Academic Year 2024/25

NZB020 course is part of 2 study plans

NPC-ARS / ARA Winter Semester 2nd year

NPC-ARS / ARP Winter Semester 2nd year

Course Guarantor

Institute

Language of instruction

Czech

Credits

3 credits

Semester

winter

Forms and criteria of assessment

graded course-unit credit

Offered to foreign students

Not to offer

Course on BUT site

Lecture

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

1. The concept of "philosophy". Introduction to the philosophical system and terminology. Ancient philosophy, science and technical knowledge. 2. Ancient philosophy. Philosophy in Greece. Beginnings of philosophy. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. Hellenistic philosophy. Survey of technical and structural achievements of the ancient world. 3. Philosophy before Christianity and the early Christian period. Medieval perspectives on the world and sciences. Conceptions of philosophy in the Middle Ages. Thomas Aquinas - pillar of medieval philosophy. 4. The Renaissance revolution - a new way forward? Philosophy of the Renaissance and Reformation. Humanism. Comenius as personality of Renaissance philosophy. 5. Rationalism and empiricism and their influence on the philosophic and scientific world. Descartes, Locke, Hume and Berkeley. The Enlightenment - Voltaire and Rousseau. History of the science in the 17th century. 6. Immanuel Kant's philosophy. The Critiques of Pure and Practical Reason. Philosophy in Germany. History of the science in the 18th century. 7. The conceptions of science and technology in the modern age. The rise of capitalism and its influence to technological development. 8. The Industrial Revolution. The development of science, technology and civil engineering in the 19th century. Positivism in philosophy. 9. The development of philosophy, society and science in the 20th century. Phenomenology and hermeneutics. Existentialism. 10. Modern philosophy in the 20th century. Directions and personalities. The Vienna Circle. L. Wittgenstein. 11. The increase in technical innovation after World War Two. The role of civil engineering and architecture in technical progress. 12. The Scientific-technical Revolution and its importance for the contemporary period. 13. Modernism and postmodernism in philosophy and the world of science.

Exercise

13 weeks, 1 hours/week, compulsory

Syllabus

1. An introduction to general and Czech history, periodization of historical development. 2. Important historical events of Antiquity, its influence to mankind knowledge, beginning of natural philosophy. 3. History of Antiquity, summary of main events. 4. The moving of nations, philosophy in the Middle-Ages, general history in the Middle-Ages. 5. General and Czech history in the Middle-Ages, summary of events, personalities and philosophical courses. 6. General and Czech history in the modern ages, important events in European history. 7. The Industrial Revolution. Summary of chosen technical inventions and unique objects. 8. The Industrial Revolution. Historical development of chosen technical invention. Students' presentations. 9. The Industrial Revolution. Historical development of chosen technical invention. Students' presentations. 10. The Industrial Revolution. Historical development of chosen technical invention. Students' presentations. 11. The Technical-scientific Revolution. Historical development of chosen technical problem. Students' presentations. 12. The Technical-scientific Revolution. Historical development of chosen technical problem. Students' presentations. 13. The Scientific-technical Revolution. Historical development of chosen technical problem. Students' presentations.