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"Plant hunting" in the Context of Science, Culture and Mentality in the 19th and Early 20th Century
Kocurek, Jakub ; Hermann, Tomáš (advisor) ; Neustupa, Jiří (referee) ; Stibral, Karel (referee)
This dissertation examines the phenomenon of 'plant-hunting' and 'plant-hunters' characteristic of Victorian and interwar Britain in particular. It defines and situates this phenomenon in time and space, and attempts to explain it. It primarily focuses on the questions of why the phenomenon arose in the given time and place, why and whether it disappeared at all, and whether it was eventually replaced by something and by what. It also examines what the existence of this phenomenon says about people's relationship to plants and the living world as such. The phenomenon is thus viewed through the plants sought by the plant-hunters themselves, and the plants are taken as the key to understanding the phenomenon. The work shows what distinguishes these particular plants from other plants. They are juxtaposed with the results of recent research on phytophilia, as well as with patterns in the more general human perception of the natural world. Furthermore, the work attempts to find appropriate functional-typological comprehensions, and places them within a theoretical explanatory framework. The whole phenomenon of plant-hunting is approached in the context of its era and contemporary science, technology, politics, and society.
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The (Social) Construction of Scientific Fact
Jedlička, Petr ; Balon, Jan (advisor) ; Kandert, Josef (referee)
The thesis draws from the examples of the knowledge of two time periods - the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Era - to discuss the claims of the constructivist school of the sociology of knowledge. The first part provides a detailed account of the views of the key constructivist figures Ludwik Fleck, David Bloor, and the anthropologist of knowledge Yehuda Elkana. The following chapter examines the main characteristics and dynamics of the medieval religious discourse with the use of Elkana's concept of images of knowledge. The next chapter provides an account of the key period of Early Modern science and shows the rise of the empirical and rational paradigm and the introduction of scientific methods, as well as the broader social context of this process. The changes in the hierarchy of knowledge are primarily demonstrated with the examples of the English natural philosophers and society during the Age of Restoration. Special attention is devoted to sources of knowledge and the methods of their legitimization and verification during both periods, in addition to an examination, based on the Strong program, of the societal roots and factors determining or influencing that knowledge. Are the tenets of the Bloor's thesis, which put forward the idea of a strong social component of knowledge, valid? Is...
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Joke as an Expression of Collective Memory: Conjunction of Maurice Halbwachs' and Sigmund Freud's theories
Smyčková, Barbora ; Mlynář, Jakub (advisor) ; Šubrt, Jiří (referee)
(in English): The bachelor thesis is founded on the interdisciplinary connection of two classic scholars' approaches in psychology and sociology, in a broader frame the topic of collective memory. Specifically, it aims to theoretical application of thoughts of Sigmund Freud, introduced in his book Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious, to the theory of collective memory by Maurice Halbwachs; thus explaining joke as an expression of collective memory. The paper shows an interdisciplinary relationship of texts by the mentioned authors and also discusses the possibility of supporting sociological theory of memory by thoughts of one of the most influential psychologists. In the first part, the concept of collective memory by Maurice Halbwachs is introduced. It is explained in sociological context and with consideration of the influences of linguistic social framework of the memory. Another connection of those two main themes is explained through the concept of unconsciousness, which is the main topic of the second part of thesis, together with Freud's ideas. The last part is dedicated to the very hypothesis about the possible explanation of the joke as an expression of collective memory. The elaboration of the theme is limited to theoretical analysis of the primary and secondary literature and...
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The (Social) Construction of Scientific Fact
Jedlička, Petr ; Balon, Jan (advisor) ; Kandert, Josef (referee)
The thesis draws from the examples of the knowledge of two time periods - the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Era - to discuss the claims of the constructivist school of the sociology of knowledge. The first part provides a detailed account of the views of the key constructivist figures Ludwik Fleck, David Bloor, and the anthropologist of knowledge Yehuda Elkana. The following chapter examines the main characteristics and dynamics of the medieval religious discourse with the use of Elkana's concept of images of knowledge. The next chapter provides an account of the key period of Early Modern science and shows the rise of the empirical and rational paradigm and the introduction of scientific methods, as well as the broader social context of this process. The changes in the hierarchy of knowledge are primarily demonstrated with the examples of the English natural philosophers and society during the Age of Restoration. Special attention is devoted to sources of knowledge and the methods of their legitimization and verification during both periods, in addition to an examination, based on the Strong program, of the societal roots and factors determining or influencing that knowledge. Are the tenets of the Bloor's thesis, which put forward the idea of a strong social component of knowledge, valid? Is...
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Nicholas of Cusa and Discovery of Weighing
Růžička, Jáchym ; Paulíček, Miroslav (advisor) ; Horák, Vít (referee)
The main goal of this paper is to enlight the failure of method of weighing discovered by Nicholas of Cusa using the perspective of the sociology of science. Based on Merton's theory of foci of interest as demonstrated on the case of Cusa's cosmology, is laid a claim, that there was a claim for the success of Kusansky's method of weighing. After the addition of Bourdieu's characteristics of scientific field and its theoretical limits we introduce two main possible science strategies: Succession and subversion. Subversion strategy is then applied on Cusa's method and therefore the paper concludes his low chances on success. Finally, with the help of Kuhn it is shown that strategy of subversion can only be successful if we redefine the basic principles of normal science and we compare this example to the case of the discovery of the weighing method, so we can point out what was Nicholas of Cusa missing on making his discovery more impactful and how could he raise his chances.
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Joke as an Expression of Collective Memory: Conjunction of Maurice Halbwachs' and Sigmund Freud's theories
Smyčková, Barbora ; Mlynář, Jakub (advisor) ; Šubrt, Jiří (referee)
(in English): The bachelor thesis is founded on the interdisciplinary connection of two classic scholars' approaches in psychology and sociology, in a broader frame the topic of collective memory. Specifically, it aims to theoretical application of thoughts of Sigmund Freud, introduced in his book Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious, to the theory of collective memory by Maurice Halbwachs; thus explaining joke as an expression of collective memory. The paper shows an interdisciplinary relationship of texts by the mentioned authors and also discusses the possibility of supporting sociological theory of memory by thoughts of one of the most influential psychologists. In the first part, the concept of collective memory by Maurice Halbwachs is introduced. It is explained in sociological context and with consideration of the influences of linguistic social framework of the memory. Another connection of those two main themes is explained through the concept of unconsciousness, which is the main topic of the second part of thesis, together with Freud's ideas. The last part is dedicated to the very hypothesis about the possible explanation of the joke as an expression of collective memory. The elaboration of the theme is limited to theoretical analysis of the primary and secondary literature and...
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The Positivism Dispute in German Sociology. The development, main ideas and continuation
Vondráková, Renáta ; Balon, Jan (advisor) ; Petrusek, Miloslav (referee)
Diplomová práce Spor o pozitivismus v německé sociologii. Renáta Vondráková. 2012. Abstract The main theme of the work is the issue of positivism dispute, which is commonly referred to discussions that occurred in German sociology in the sixties. It was a debate between advocates of critical theory, which were Theodor W. Adorno and Jürgen Habermas, and the concept of critical rationalism of Karl R. Popper and Hans Albert. The discussion initially was confined to issues related to the logic of the social sciences, for many reasons, but rather applied to differences between the concepts and challenges of science from the perspective of both the above approaches. Also the description and discovery purposes and contexts that led to the overturning topic discussion are devoted to this work. The aim is to describe the external influences as widely as possible and how it affected the final understanding of the dispute, but also how well the positivism dispute turned the concepts of science in the following period. The first part is concerned with social and historical situation in which the dispute arose. Followed by an outline of key terms that in connection with a dispute likely occur, in fact it is the analysis of major issues. Emphasis is placed on a thorough description of the first two contributions to the...
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