Course detail

History and Philosophy of Technology

FIT-FITAcad. year: 2014/2015

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.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

ThMgr. Milan Klapetek

Department

Continuing Education and Counselling Centre (CVP)

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.

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.

Course curriculum

Syllabus of lectures:

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

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.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

There are no checked study.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Bernal: Věda v dějinách. Praha, 1960 Numford: Technika a civilizace. Praha, 1947 Nový: Dějiny techniky v Československu do 18. století. Praha, 1974

VUT

Faculties

University Institutes

Parts

History and Philosophy of Technology