ENSb1107 History of Natural Sciences

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2024

The course is not taught in Spring 2024

Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Karel Stibral, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Karel Stibral, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Kateřina Müllerová
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! ENS107 History of Natural Sciences &&! NOW ( ENS107 History of Natural Sciences )
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 70 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/70, only registered: 0/70, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/70
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
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).
Learning outcomes
Student will be able to orientate in the history of natural sciences from antiquity to the 20th century; will be able to identify and describe current trends in biology and to analyze their continuity with previous developments. She/he will be able to analyze the development with regard to environmental issues or inspiration for contemporary environmental thinking.
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). 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). 13. Physics, astronomy, geology, chemistry in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • KOMÁREK, Stanislav. Obraz člověka a přírody v zrcadle biologie. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2008, 325 s. ISBN 9788020015921. info
    not specified
  • Rádl, Emanuel. Dějiny biologických teorií novověku I. a II. Praha: Academia, 2006.
  • 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 review, 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
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Course is no more offered.
The course is taught: every week.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Kurz se otevírá při 5 a více přihlášených studentech.
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