Department of Analytic Philosophy

The main task of the Department is sustained research in the core areas of analytic philosophy, subject to its characteristic demands: explicitness and precision of formulations; transparent structure of argumentation as a prerequisite of rational discussion; permanent critical reflection on the linguistic and logico-methodological aspects of the philosophical work. Respecting the values introduced by this line of work into contemporary philosophy implies neither animosity to alternative ways of doing philosophy nor an abandonment of the principle that any serious philosophical work must be based on substantive historico-philosophical reflection.

Current research program

I. The basic line of the research seeks to cover the central areas of analytic philosophy:
-- philosophy of language (with a focus on theory of meaning, reference, speech acts, functions of language in fictional discourse)
-- philosophy of mind (with a focus on naturalism in theory of intentionality and theory of consciousness, the externalism-internalism dispute, theory of emotions)
-- metaphysics (with a focus on theory of personal identity, theory of material constitution, universals, philosophy of space and time)
-- philosophy of science (with a focus on theory of explanation and confirmation, theory of probability and its applications, philosophy of physics and biology, philosophy of the humanities)
-- epistemology (with a focus on theory of scientic rationality, evolutionary epistemology, formal epistemology)
-- ethics (with a focus on evolutionary ethics, metaethics, applied ethics)
-- aesthetics ( with a focus on philosophy of literature, philosophy of fine arts, methodology of art history).
II. On this basis, the Department currently implements two specific team projects, supported by grants and long-term international cooperation:
-- theory of interpretation (an interdisciplinary project focusing on the interpretation of utterances in everyday communication, of literary texts and of works of visual arts: Petr Koťátko, Karel Thein, Martin Pokorný, Karel Císař, Tomáš Hříbek)
-- philosophical relevance of the theory of evolution (focusing on evolutionary epistemology, evolutionary ethics, and the theoretical foundations of Darwinism: Vladimír Havlík, Tomáš Hříbek, Zuzana Parusniková, Juraj Hvorecký, Jiří Nosek)
The research and organizational goals of the Department are anchored in long-term international cooperation, which has resulted in joint projects, publications and conferences. The interdisciplinary character of the research is supported by cooperation with other academical and university centres and by organizing annual interdisciplinary seminars. The program of the department's research and organisational activities envisages strenghthening of their international and interdisciplinary basis. The same applies for the dialogue between Analytic and Continental philosophy: the structure of the Department, the orientation of its research projects and a substantial part of its output contribute towards eliminating the communicational barriers between these two lines of philosophical thought.