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Aristotle's theory of cause
Bis, Ondřej ; Thein, Karel (advisor) ; Jinek, Jakub (referee)
Aristotle's theory of cause being a broad topic, this bachelor thesis focuses on Aristotle's theoretical treatment of causes in Physics II. It undertakes a detailed analysis of its most important chapters (II, 3 a II, 7) and deals particularly with division of causes into four types. It also included the topic of causal modes. Equally, it deals with the repercussions of the theory for the work of a natural scientist, which follow from the division into four types of a cause. Aristotle's attitude to the job of a natural scientist is that all four causes are to be demonstrated to make knowledge complete. The thesis also deals with the status of causes in general and inquires both into the meaning of causes as real and constitutive factors of reality and the role of causes as explanatory factors. Among questions relating to the explanatory function of causes is a consideration whether it is not just a linguistic analysis. Another question is the foundation of the theory of four causes. In the core chapter of the thesis are separately analysed four causes in their mutual relations. Analysis demonstrates causal interdependence resulting in recognition of causal unity. That is why the aspect of unity is next followed showing first the unity of non-material causes. Efficient and final causes form unity...
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Resemblance, Imitation, Metamorphosis
Blecha, Jakub ; Thein, Karel (advisor) ; Jinek, Jakub (referee)
The central theme of my thesis are theoretical assumptions of Plato's arguments based on the figure appearance in dialogues X. Republic and Sophist. Separated chapters are devoted to the interpretation of selected passages of dialogue. Some partial assumptions are developed in details, such as The one over many argument in dialogue X. Republic and the essence of the image from Sophist. One conclusion follows from these work: the use of figures appearance is extremely problematic, for that reason, because we can not clarify the nature of image, as its a definitional feature. Reduction of imitation and in the second case of the art of Sophists on a certain type of representation, however, does not lead to the intended goal (to know the subjects of interpretation), but pointed out some non-trivial descriptions of the philosophical framework of Plato's thought. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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Scottish Enlightenment: How Faith and Beauty born Science and Capitalism
Čapek, Ondřej ; Thein, Karel (advisor) ; Znoj, Milan (referee) ; Pavlík, Ján (referee)
TITLE: The Scottish Enlightenment: How Faith and Beauty born Science and Capitalism AUTHOR: Ondřej Čapek DEPARTMENT: Social Sciences and Philosophy Department, Faculty of Education, Charles University in Prague SUPERVISOR: doc. Karel Thein, PhD. ABSTRACT: Thesis is focused on the Scottish Enlightenment (1707 - 1789), which is characterized as the period of economic prosperity based on the massive development of agriculture, education and trade inside the nascent British Empire. The emergence of individualism and the optimistic view of human nature are typical for the period. The thesis investigates the ancient roots of individualism (Plato, Stoicism) and European individualistic authors: Machiavelli, Montesquieu and Mandeville. The influence of the works of Isaac Newton on new methodology of social sciences is analyzed in details. Analysis of new social sciences is devoted to the theory of social stages, economics, jurisprudence and historiographical revolution in Scotland, with an emphasis on the description of a new approach of data mining inspired by Francis Bacon. The work also deals with Shaftesbury, Locke and especially Ferguson's aesthetic theory and the theory of moral sentiments. Both theories are built on the intersection of two philosophical approaches - empirical position and Platonism. Thesis...
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The Stoic Theory of Synkatathesis
Drbohlav, Jakub ; Thein, Karel (advisor) ; Jinek, Jakub (referee)
This thesis attempts to reconstruct the stoic notion of human autonomy - of "that, which depends on us" -, which enables stoics to hold the position of universal predetermination, and, simultaneously, to meaningfully develop ethical dimension of their doctrine. Beginning with the definition of the deterministic aspect of the system and its examination, it proceeds with a presentation of stoic theory of action and psychology to the solution of the problem itself as it is preserved in Cicero's De fato and in Noctes Atticae of Aulus Gellius. The thesis demonstrates that the stoic solution does not and even can not use any notion of a free will, and despite of that creates a foundation of an ethical theory which is fully consistent.
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The impact of human knowledge on animals and plants
Richterová, Klaudie ; Thein, Karel (advisor) ; Jirsa, Jakub (referee)
Název práce: Dopad lidského poznání na zvířata a rostliny Vedoucí práce: doc. PhDr. Karel Thein, Ph.D. Vypracovala: Klaudie Richterová Abstrakt anglicky The last century has seen the rise of interest in the welfare of animals and one of the leaders of this movement has been the philosopher Peter Singer. His theory says that animals have their own interests, just like humans, because they are able to feel pleasure and pain. On the basis of this assumption he recurs to the principle of equal consideration of interests. Nevertheless this principle applies only to animals and human beings. However, modern research proves that humans and animals are not the only sentient beings on the Earth. Plants are not simply passive things in vegetative state. According to the current research, plants are active individuals who communicate with each other, have their own system of self-defence and basically their own way of life. In accordance with this new scientific knowledge we should include plants into the application of the principle of equal consideration of interests that is if we do not want to be proponents of species superiority.
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Logos in Aristotle's ethics
Adamec, Jaromír ; Špinka, Štěpán (advisor) ; Thein, Karel (referee)
The aim of the diploma theses "Logos in Aristotle Ethics" is to interpret meaning of the term "logos" in Aristotle's work "Nicomachean Ethics". The basic methodical guideline is the structuralist assumption, that a meaning of a term is determined by its relations to other terms contained within the text, and the related assumption of unity of the meaning of the term "logos". The interpretation itself first analyzes structure of several crucial terms, most importantly the relation of a human individual to the society, the concepts of the good, the reality and the possibility, the true and the illusory, and the concept of the natural. The structure of use of the term "logos" is then analyzed in relation to these concepts. These investigations are completed by analysis of the terms of virtue and action. By the means of the structural analysis of these terms, the existence of a distinctive level of reality is established, which is captured by the term "humanity". The existence of humanity is the central point of interest in Aristotle's ethics. In the horizontal regard, there are two poles of humanity - the individual human and the society. In the vertical regard, the humanity is situated between divinity, to which it is related, and bestiality, to which it threatens to fall. Logos is then a kind of...
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Plato`s conception of freedom and free action
Sulík, Pavel ; Špinka, Štěpán (advisor) ; Thein, Karel (referee)
The topic of the essay is Plato's conception of freedom and free action in the choosen passages of dialogues Phaedrus, Gorgias, Phaedo and The Republic. The first part of the first chapter will focus on Plato's analysis of only illusory freedom of tyrannical man in The Republic. Work will continue with interpreation of dialog Gorgias where Plato shows illusoly freedom of rhetor and necessary conditions for free action, which is especially self-control. The third part of the first chapter is dedicated to the dialog Phaedo and to question in which sense is possible to understand free action as freedom from body and its perspective. The last part of the first chapter is dealing with some passages of the dialog Phaedrus and shows that freedom, according to Plato, needs freedom from blindness of individual perspective given by fixation at parcicular body and that at the same time this freedom opens the way not only to unity of all parts of the individual soul and to mutual friendship of souls, but also to proper care about that which is physical. By the help of mentioned analyses we try in the second chapter to put these analyses together in order to achieve a harmony among them and to catch important topics which could be within freedom revealed. Another aim is to find unite conception of freedom and...
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On the Meaning of Death for the Stoics and for the Epicureans
Evjáková, Martina ; Fischerová, Sylva (advisor) ; Thein, Karel (referee)
The main aim of this thesis is to present and compare the approaches of the two important Hellenistic philosophical schools - the Old Stoics and Epicurus - to the phenomenon of death in relationship to the concept of the soul. First, the problem is viewed through the perspective of physics. Epicurus and the Stoics adhere to the belief in the substantial (and not individual) immortality of the soul, resembling in some aspects the view of presocratic philosophers. The soul is uderstood by both schools as basis of life functions connected with heat and breath. Second, the ethical approaches to death by Epicurus and the Stoics and their different proposals for disposing of the fear of death are shortly introduced.
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Unqualified Change in Aristotle's Natural Philosophy
Roreitner, Robert ; Karfíková, Lenka (advisor) ; Thein, Karel (referee)
We start with the question, whether and in how far the distinction between "unqualified" and "qualified" predication of change (i.e. predication of "coming to be" and of "becoming") provides a sound clue for understanding of reality. Firstly, we focus on methodological assumptions of Aristotle's natural philosophy and science, namely on their relation to everyday language. In the next step we ask, whether and how the general conclusions about the character of any change made in Physics are valid also for any change (i.e. for "qualified" and "unqualified" change) separately. Last two chapters, then, are concerned with some consequences of Aristotle's endeavor to make justice to everyday distinction of "unqualified" and "qualified" changes for his conception of nature, namely with the character of matter and the circularity of change.
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