Subject description - B0B16FI1
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Explanatory Notes
Instructions
Web page:
https://moodle.fel.cvut.cz/courses/B0B16FI1
Anotation:
The aim of the course is to familiarise students with the principal figures, schools, and concepts of ancient philosophy. Particular attention is paid to the interdisciplinary character of philosophy and to the enduring significance of ancient philosophical ideas for contemporary debates in science, technology, economics, and politics.
Course outlines:
| 1. | | Philosophy and thinking. Mythical, philosophical and scientific accounts. The first philosophers. |
| 2. | | Thales and the Milesian school. Seeking the basic principle, reductionism, hylozoism, and the conception of the soul. |
| 3. | | Pythagoras and his school, present-day residues of Pythagoreism (numerology, reincarnation) |
| 4. | | Heraclitus, dynamical approach, the question of identity. |
| 5. | | The school of Eleya, Xenophanes, Parmenides, problems with negative concepts. |
| 6. | | Anaxagoras, Empedocles and pre-atomism. |
| 7. | | Atomism, the absolute determinism and freedom, problems of materialism. |
| 8. | | The crisis of knowledge, the Sophists. Protagoras (Is man the measure of everything?) |
| 9. | | The life and death of Socrates. Method of dialogues, Socrates' moral paradox. |
| 10. | | The imperfect Socratic schools, Megarians, the paradox of the liar. |
| 11. | | Plato, his life and philosophy. The realm of forms-ideas. The allegory of the cave: ideal state or totality? |
| 12. | | Aristotle and the peak of classical philosophy, logic, physics and cosmology. Aristotelianism and Scholastics. |
| 13. | | Epicurus, moral philosophy, antient concept of the swerve and quantum mechanics. Stoicism and logic, Pyrrhonism (scepticism) |
| 14. | | Philosophy in Alexandria, Euclid and mathematics. |
Exercises outline:
| 1. | | The concept of philosophy. Examples of myths. |
| 2. | | Seeking the basic principle, reductionism, hylozoism, and the conception of the soul. |
| 3. | | Present-day residues of Pythagoreism (numerology, reincarnation) |
| 4. | | Heraclitus, examples of interpretation. |
| 5. | | The school of Eleya, problems with the methodology of cognition (the conception of free space). |
| 6. | | The concept of matter in ancient times and today. |
| 7. | | The importance of atomism in natural science. Problem of determinism. |
| 8. | | The crisis of knowledge, the Sophists. Is man the measure of everything? Examples. |
| 9. | | The importance of the method of dialogue. |
| 10. | | The paradox of the liar, and its modern versions |
| 11. | | The realm of forms-ideas and present-day science. The meaning of the allegory of the cave. |
| 12. | | Aristotle's logic and physics. |
| 13. | | Interesting moments of Epicureanism and Stoicism. Euclides Stocheia today. |
| 14. | | Pyrrhonism (scepticism), modern scepticism. |
Literature:
Zamarovský, P.: FROM PHILOSOPHY TO SCIENCE, ČVUT, Praha 2022
Requirements:
Posluchači během semestru absolvují tři testy a vypracují prezentaci na dohodnuté téma.
Subject is included into these academic programs:
| Page updated 11.9.2026 07:56:18, semester: Z,L/2026-7, Z,L/2027-8, L/2025-6, Z,L/2028-9, L/2029-30, Send comments about the content to the Administrators of the Academic Programs |
Proposal and Realization: I. Halaška (K336), J. Novák (K336) |