ENS107 History of Natural Sciences

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2015
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Karel Stibral, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Bc. Petra Burišková
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 13:30–15:00 P51 Posluchárna V. Čermáka
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 65 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/65, only registered: 0/65, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/65
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 20 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
During the course students should learn a brief history of natural sciences with accent on biology. At the end of the course students should be able to understand main paradigm shifts in the history of sciences (above all biology) since antiquity until today. Student should be able to explain also main "alternative" scientific approaches and hypothesis, popular in the environmental movement (Sheldrake, Margulis or Lovelock).
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction. Antiquity I.: Basic knowledges and methods in natural sciences and mathematics, Thales, Empedocle; Aristotle. 2. Antiquity II. - Aristotle II.; helenistic science - biology, geometry, astronomy, physics, geography. 3. Medieval science – Islamic world and Occident tradition (R. Bacon, Albert the Great e.t.c). 3. Renaissance science. Biology, alchemy and astrology. Inspiration of the modern science in the Renaissance theory and methods: F. Bacon, Galilei. The paradigm shift in astronomy: Copernicus, Kepler. 4. Early modern science in the 17th century – physics: Descartes, Newton. Biology. 5. Science in the Age of Enlightenment. Leibniz. Biology in the 18th century – Linné, Buffon, Cuvier, Geoffroy St. Hillaire - classical morphology. National movements in biology. 6. Naturphilosophy – romantic science: Oken, A. von Humboldt, Goethe, Purkyně e.t.c. Lamarck, lamarckism and roots of the evolutionary theory. 7. Sciences of the (first half) 19th century. Chemistry, physics, astronomy, geography. Positivism. 8. English biology of the 19th century. Darwin I. – basics of the theory of natural selection, life and work, theory of sexual selection, domestication. 9. Darwin II. – theory of natural selection, 2. part, A. R. Wallace – his version of the theory of natural selection, zoogeography. 10. 19th century - second half: Haeckel, Driesch, Mendel, neovitalism. Microbiology. Chemistry and physics. 10. First half of the 20th century – Neo-Darwinian New synthesis, other hypothesis (neolamarckism, lysenkism). Molecular biology. Physics and astronomy. 11. 2. half of the 20th century - classical etology (Lorenz, Tinbergen), Neo-Darwinism, Selfish gene theory (Dawkins), sociobiology (Wilson). Interesting non-mainstream theories of the 20th century biology: theory of punctuated equilibrium (Eldredge, Gould), theory of symbiotic relationships driving evolution(Margulis) 12. Theories of the 20th century critical towards Neo-Darwinism or modern science approach: Gaia hypothesis (Lovelock), biological aesthetics (Portmann), theory of morphic resonance (Sheldrake), inteligent design (Behe, Johnson).
Literature
  • Rádl, Emanuel. Dějiny biologických teorií novověku I. a II. Praha: Academia, 2006.
  • KOMÁREK, Stanislav. Obraz člověka a přírody v zrcadle biologie. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2008, 325 s. ISBN 9788020015921. info
  • KOMÁREK, Stanislav. Příroda a kultura : svět jevů a svět interpretací. Vyd. 2. Praha: Academia, 2008, 307 s. ISBN 9788020015822. info
  • Geschichte der Biologie : Theorien, Methoden, Institutionen, Kurzbiographien. Edited by Ilse Jahn. 3. Aufl. Hamburg: Nikol Verlagsgesellschaft, 2004, 1088 s. ISBN 3937872019. info
  • KOMÁREK, Stanislav. Dějiny biologického myšlení :apendix : vznik, vývoj a eko-etologické významy křídelních kreseb u motýlů. 1. vyd. Praha: Vesmír, 1997, 142 s. ISBN 80-85977-10-9. info
  • JANKO, Jan. Life sciences in the Czech lands (Bohemia and Moravia) 1750-1950. Praha: Archiv Akademie věd České republiky, 1997, 610 s. ISBN 80-902464-0-0. info
  • WHITEHEAD, Alfred North. Veda a moderný svet. Bratislava: Pravda, 1989. info
  • MAYR, Ernst. The growth of biological thought : diversity, evolution, and inheritance. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press, 1982, ix, 974. ISBN 0674364457. info
  • RÁDL, Emanuel. Dějiny vývojových theorií v biologii XIX. století. V Praze: Nákladem Jana Laichtera, 1909, xii, 564. URL info
Teaching methods
Lectures
Assessment methods
The exam has two parts: 1) final written test. 2) written homework essay based on one of the following books: Behe, M. J.: Darwins Black Box; Blackmore, S.: The meme machine; Dawkins, R.: The Selfish Gene, Goodal, Jane: Throw the Window; Eibl-Eibesfeldt, I.: Der Mensch - das riskierte Wesen; Fouts, R., Mills, S. T.: Next of Kin: what chimpanzees have taught me about who we are; Gould, S. J.: The Mismeasure of Man; Lorenz, K.: Das Sogenannte Böse; Prigogine, I., Stengersová, I.: Order out of Chaos: Man's new dialogue with nature; Wilson, E. O.: The Biophilia Hypothesis; Wilson, E. O.: The Diversity of Life; Wilson, E. O.: On Human Nature
Language of instruction
Czech
Follow-Up Courses
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Kurz se otevírá při 5 a více přihlášených studentech.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2015, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2015/ENS107