Elements of philosophy WP-ADZ-1-EF
The course consists of three components: elements of general philosophy, the history of philosophical thought, and the fundamentals of the philosophy of law. Its goal is to strengthen the basic humanities knowledge of graduates in the field of administration.
Topics:
1. Philosophy as a discipline and its main branches (ontology, epistemology, axiology).
2. The origins of philosophy in ancient Greece and its leading figures.
3. Plato’s philosophy.
4. Aristotle’s philosophy.
5. Selected schools of thought / branches of philosophy: anthropomorphism vs. cosmology, epistemological determinism vs. ontological determinism, cognitivism vs. non-cognitivism, nominalism vs. conceptual realism, naturalism vs. methodological anti-naturalism.
6. Positive philosophy – school of thought, major representatives.
7. Analytic philosophy—school of thought, leading figures.
8. Ethics within the structure of philosophy and its elements: normative vs. descriptive ethics, axiology, deontology.
9. Main characteristics of the development of philosophy across historical periods.
10. Christian philosophers: St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas.
11. Changes in late medieval Christian philosophy—theorists of absolute monarchy—Marsilius of Padua, Jean Bodin.
12. The Investiture Controversy and its significance for the development of the philosophy of law.
13. The development of philosophy in England against the backdrop of the emergence and evolution of Anglo-Saxon legal culture (Roger Bacon, Francis Bacon, T. Hobbes, John Locke, Jeremy Bentham).
14. The significance of the Enlightenment in philosophy; Immanuel Kant, the end of feudalism.
15. Communism—principles, leading figures, evolution.
16. Philosophies of law—classification.
17. The philosophy of legal positivism—development, leading figures.
18. Herbert Hart’s analytical theory of law.
19. Ronald Dworkin’s integral theory of law.
20. The philosophy of legal discourse and argumentation—basic characteristics.
(in Polish) E-Learning
(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych
Course coordinators
Subject level
(in Polish) Punkty ECTS
Learning outcome code/codes
Type of subject
Learning outcomes
Student: describes the major schools of thought in philosophy, identifies the leading philosophers throughout history, and classifies the schools of thought in general philosophy that have influenced the philosophy of law (e.g., analytic philosophy, positivism).
Student: compares the main schools of thought in philosophy, taking into account the periodization of history, and evaluates the main philosophical schools from the perspective of the contemporary concept of democracy.
Assessment criteria
The student answers three questions from the list of topics provided in the course description.
Bibliography
M. Szyszkowska, Philosophy in Europe [Filozofia w Europie], Białystok 1998
M. Szyszkowska, An Outline of the Philosophy of Law [Zarys filozofii prawa], Białystok 2000
Supplementary:
A. Kotowski (ed.), Selected Issues in the Theory and Philosophy of Law [Wybrane zagadnienia teorii i filozofii prawa], Warsaw 2021
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: