Philosophy and history of science and technology

The purpose of the program is to develop and disseminate knowledge about science, the most successful form of knowledge that is based on relevant facts and uses effective methods. The aim is to deepen the systematic knowledge of the nature of science, the history of science, and the philosophical implications of the technological use of science. The programme is focused on mapping the basic historical trajectories of scientific development, understanding the context, historical turnovers and changes in scientific paradigms. Studying leads to understanding of basic scientific concepts (e.g. causality, determinism, evidence, idealization, modeling, observation). The programme develops knowledge about the structure of scientific theories, scientific methods and verification rules. The study is also focused on critical thinking about the ethical and epistemological consequences of current scientific discoveries and their technological applications. The study emphasizes the concept of science as an important social institution of modern society and represents the interrelationships between science and the wider social context. Part of the curriculum includes specialized lectures on thought experiments, application of logic in science and philosophy of science, history of special natural sciences.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• to understand and explain the basic and current topics in philosophy and history of science and technology
• to independently identify and critically analyze key issues in philosophy and history of science and technology
• to present the findings, conclusions and outputs to the international professional and lay public
• carry out a critical debate with pseudoscientific views
• independent, creative and synergic research work in the field
• to identify and contextualize the periods of paradigm shift in the history of science and to put these changes into the socio-cultural context

Graduates are qualified to work in academic positions or as independent researchers at universities and scientific institutions focused on social sciences or humanities. They can find jobs in areas requiring critical, methodological, and systematic thinking and reasoning, in the institutions of science communication, and in the media. Acquired skills and competencies can be used in editorial work in scientific journals, publishing companies, and in teaching in educational institutes.

Practical training consists of publishing articles and presenting them at conferences. These activities are included in the study plans and are credited.

Selected doctoral students are eligible for an internship at the Institute of Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (based on a collaboration agreement).

The dissertation is the result of independent research based on methods that are adequate to the chosen subject. The topic and method of its processing are chosen in consultation with tutors and other consultants. Student in the dissertation thesis certifies the knowledge of the current research, overview of relevant methods and existing approaches, familiarity with the relevant literature. In the doctoral dissertation, the doctoral student presents the original research results he has obtained on his own methodological research. The results are formulated so that they can be verified and subject to a critical discussion. These results are expected to have the ambition of enriching existing research.

Graduates of the doctoral study programme have completed all of the study forms offered by the Department of Philosophy. Further education and professional growth is fully within the graduate’s competence.