Course detail

History and Philosophy of Technology

FAST-NZB020Acad. year: 2025/2026

Ancient and Ancient Ages, philosophy and science, philosophical system of thinking, philosophical subjects, history of philosophy, personalities in philosophy, the system of philosophy, philosophical directions, importance of philosophical thinking about world, ethics and philosophy, contribution of philosophy, substance of philosophy, Middle-Ages thinking, the Renaissance revolution, rationalism and science, modern philosophy, capitalism and technology, the Industrial Revolution, technical inventions, the Scientific-technical Revolution, modern social and technical world, perspectives for the future.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

RNDr. Ing. Jaroslav Lindr, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Social Sciences (SPV)

Entry knowledge

Basic knowledge of world history (in level of secondary schools, summary of important historical events), common survey about history of philosophy (important paradigms and personalities), knowledge of basic cultural periods in history (with continuity to civil engineering and architecture), importance of the Industrial Revolution and the Science-technical Revolution, basic periodization of history.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Extent and forms are specified by guarantor’s regulation updated for every academic year.

Aims

Deepening and increasing in orientation in history of mankind, society, science and technology. Concretization of images about social development in continuity to philosophy and increase of nature and technical sciences. Systematic knowledge of important times, paradigms and personalities who are outstanding for update science and technology. Analysis of historical and philosophical development with view to nowadays and perspectives for future.
Connections of historical, philosophical and technical development of human civilisation. Orientation in basic philosophical epochas in history and at present-time.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

NEČAS, Ctibor a Otto ZWETTLER. Dějiny věd a techniky. Praha: SPN. 1997. ISBN 80-210-0401-0. (CS)
EFMERTOVÁ, Marcela C. a Antoine MARÉS. Historie vědy a techniky. Praha: Cefres. 2002. ISBN 80-86311-04-X. (CS)
JANOUŠEK, Ivo. Věda, technika a kultura. Praha: NTM. 2002. ISBN 80-7037-108-0. (CS)
SOLOMON, R. C. A short history of philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press. 1996. (EN)
STÖRIG, Hans J. Malé dějiny filozofie. Praha: Vyšehrad. 1999. ISBN 80-7113-236-5. (CS)
WESSELY, Emil, ŠEMINSKÝ, Jaroslav a Martin ROVŇÁK. Dějiny a vývoj techniky. Košice: TU. 2007. ISBN 978-80-8073-943-0. (SK)

Recommended reading

Not applicable.

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme NPC-ARS Master's

    specialization ARA , 2 year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
    specialization ARP , 2 year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

RNDr. Ing. Jaroslav Lindr, Ph.D.

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 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

RNDr. Ing. Jaroslav Lindr, Ph.D.

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.