Course detail
History and Philosophy of Technology
FIT-FITAcad. year: 2018/2019
The course "History and Philosophy of Technology" represents an introduction into the particular stages of development of the technology with respect to the surrounding cultural climate and the philosophical streams on the background of which these particular chapters of the history take place. The course deals also with the risk factors the civilization brings about, and suggestions are given how to overcome them.
Supervisor
Learning outcomes of the course unit
The information transferred should provide the students with the knowledge of the amazing drama hidden behind an apparently cold and non-personal phenomenon of technology. The purpose is to establish links to the specific engineering subjects and to other branches of the culture.
Prerequisites
No prerequisity knowledge is called for.
Co-requisites
Not applicable.
Recommended optional programme components
Not applicable.
Recommended or required reading
- Lilley: Stroje a lidé v dějinách. Praha, 1973
- Jílek: Zrození velkých vynálezů. Praha, 1988
- Marshall: Po stopách lidského pokroku. Praha, 1932
- Bernal: Věda v dějinách. Praha, 1960
- Numford: Technika a civilizace. Praha, 1947
- Nový: Dějiny techniky v Československu do 18. století. Praha, 1974
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Not applicable.
Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes
Presence at the lectures with passing the test and furnishing a written work (approximately 2 pages of text, 500 - 1000 words).
Language of instruction
Czech, English
Work placements
Not applicable.
Aims
The target of the course is to instigate in the listener the awareness of glorious and many thousand years long history of the technology, and to give him/her the knowledge of relationships with the entity of human culture and the resulting ethical responsibility of any individual to whom technology should become a vocation.
Classification of course in study plans
- Programme IT-BC-3 Bachelor's
branch BIT , 2. year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
- Programme IT-MGR-2 Master's
branch MBI , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
branch MPV , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
branch MGM , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
branch MSK , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
branch MIS , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
branch MBS , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
branch MIN , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
branch MMI , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
branch MMM , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
Type of course unit
Lecture
26 hours, optionally
Teacher / Lecturer
Syllabus
- Since the earliest industry to megalithic constructions.
- The antiquity and the helenistic science and technology
- Medieval age - technology in the shade of cathedrals
- Renaissance engineers - new image of the world
- Long way to steam engine
- Industrial revolution in England
- Meeting point between science and technology
- Combustion engine, turbine and new potentials
- Electrical energy from Thalet to Coulomb
- Galvani and the others
- Electromotoric principle comes into the world
- The history of data transmission until the spark telegraphy
- Inventors activities and the related ethical issues of today
eLearning
eLearning: currently opened course