ESF:BKH_ZAFI Introduction to Philosophy - Course Information

BKH_ZAFI Introduction to Philosophy

Extent and Intensity

0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

Teacher(s)

prof. PhDr. Ing. Josef Šmajs, CSc. (lecturer)
Mgr. Marek Timko, Ph.D. (lecturer)
PhDr. Ivo Rolný, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Ing. Vojtěch Hanžl (assistant)
Mgr. Ing. Viktor Kulhavý, Ph.D., MSLS (assistant)

Guaranteed by

doc. PhDr. Božena Šmajsová Buchtová, CSc.
Department of Business Management – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Contact Person: Vlasta Radová

Timetable

Sun 25. 9. 8:30–11:50 P101, Sun 6. 11. 12:50–16:15 P101, Sun 27. 11. 16:20–19:35 P101

Prerequisites (in Czech)

! KHZAFI Introduction to Philosophy

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• Management (programme ESF, B-EKM)
• Business Management (programme ESF, B-EKM)

Course objectives

The course covers four topics, the first of which – the history of philosophy - builds on social science subjects taught at secondary school. The other thematic units are parts of today’s systematic philosophy elaborated by the author: ontology of evolution, evolutionary gnoseology, philosophy of technology. The second part, i.e. evolutionary ontology, forms the theoretical basis for interpreting evolutionary gnoseology and philosophy of technology. All these parts comprehensibly show what is nature and natural evolution, and what is culture as opposed to nature (civilization) and socio-cultural evolution. Interpretation, which is based on knowledge and theories of current system of sciences, explains not only the natural and cultural evolution, but also a less known problem of ontic information and the role of information in open non-linear systems: the systems of living and culture. Also the problem of knowledge is not interpreted traditionally, which means obtaining information from the external environment of man, but evolutionarily ontologically, that is, as ontic procedure, through which open non-linear systems acquire and use information for their own growth and reproduction. The part of philosophy of technology interprets two lines of technological development (biotic and abiotic), the problem of evolution of technology, conflict and biosphere and technosphere and little-known abiotic agricultural technology and information.

Main objectives can be summarized as follows:
- Become familiar with classical philosophical tradition and the main problems of traditional philosophy
- Master interpretation of evolutionarily ontological concept of existential conflict of culture and nature
- Cope with problems of evolutional gnoseology issues including the ontic role of knowledge
- Cope with the problem of philosophical interpretation of technology and technosphere
- Refine students’ theoretical thinking

Syllabus

• Thematic plan of the course:
• 1. Introduction
• 2. What is philosophy, philosophic disciplines, particularity of the philosophic method, relationships between philosophy and science, philosophy and religion, philosophy and art, philosophy and politics
• 3. Antique philosophy, medieval and Renaissance philosophy, main streams, authors and problems
• 4. Modern philosophy, great systems of the 17th century, enlightenment, positivism, English empiricism, German classic philosophy, Marxian and existential philosophy, philosophy of language, philosophy of American pragmatism, hermeneutics, analytical philosophy
• 5. Ontology as the theory of existence, history and meaning, Greek and medieval ontology, ontology of mechanic materialism, existential ontology, critical ontology by N. Hartmann
• 6. Evolutionary ontology, general characteristic, relationship between existence and events, evolution, two ontic rules, two types of ontic orderliness
• 7. Evolutionary ontology, open linear systems, information, ontic role of information
• 8. Evolutionary gnoseology, what is the knowledge, biological and cultural background of knowledge, language as a phenomenon of culture
• 9. Evolutionary gnoseology, general and scientific knowledge, ontic role of knowledge
• 10. Evolutionary gnoseology, problem of the truth, criteria of the truth, problem of compatibility
• 11. Philosophy of technology, what is technology, two lines of technology, evolution of technology
• 12. Philosophy of technology, productive, consumer and information technology, conflict between biosphere and technosphere.

Literature

required literature
• ŠMAJS, Josef. Filosofie - obrat k Zemi (Philosophy - turn-over towards the Earth). Praha: Nakladatelství Academia, 2008, 440 pp. 10460. ISBN 978-80-200-1639-3. info
• ŠMAJS, Josef. Základy systematické filosofie. 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita v Brně, 2006, 251 s. ISBN 8021041013. info

recommended literature
• BLECHA, Ivan. Filosofie. 3. opr. a rozš. vyd. Olomouc: Nakladatelství Olomouc, 1998, 239 s. ISBN 80-7182-069-5. info

Teaching methods

The class consits of a self-preparation done by student at home and a consultation held at the faculty. Students work out one seminar work during the semester. The work has to be delivered to the tutor one week before sitting the exam. Elaboration of seminar work is a necessary condition allowing students to write the final test. For each consultation student is obliged to review given topics (theoretical preparation). In the class the information is delivered in the form of a lecture joined with discussions or solving a case study.

Assessment methods

The final written test is composed of three open questions. Students have to answer them in the time limit of 30 minutes. The test is classified on scale from A to F and the condition of a pass is that no question is classified with F.
If student commits a prohibited act, such as usage of various forbidden tools, cribbing, taking out any part of the exam or any other cheating, teacher is allowed to interrupt an exam and to grade a student with F, FF or FFF according to the seriousness of the offence. Mentioned procedure relates to all the activities that are included to the final evaluation of the course (seminar work, essays, tests etc.).

Language of instruction

Czech

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
General note: nezapisují si studenti, kteří absolvovali předmět KHZAFI.

• Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2011, recent)
  
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