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Culture and philosophy of the Information Society | Contemporary social philosophy | 

Your active participation in the two facultative seminars, conducted together with the lecture course and its seminar classes can bring you up to 100 points. 

Culture and Philosophy of the information society 

(lecturer - associate professor doctor Atanas Grigorov)

The need of such seminar becomes more and more imminent. The forming culture of the information society brings changes in the cardinal codes of culture and in its categorial structure, which remain improvident.

Changes in the cardinal codes of culture - this means a new composition and a new structure of the fundamental conceptions by means of which we become aware of the reality. "Recoding" of the accumulated knowledge, reconsideration of standards and values, new visions for the future, new priorities to society, new strategies for personal realization, etc. The risk of the traditional higher education not matching with tomorrow's realities is too much.

The idea is to make this a theoretical (not training) seminar, directed towards examining problems that are forming at the moment and are not well supported with literature. A seminar in which, creative thinking plays a greater part than erudition. Interdisciplinary in its nature yet closely related to the main course. A Seminar entirely created on voluntary basis - that includes both, the teacher and the students.

The lecturer introduces problems and initiates discussions together with the students. This is their time, their culture and this culture develops with them. Maybe their visions and assessments will prove to be more accurate. At the end of the seminar each of the participants presents a short exposition of his, own interpretation on the discussed topics. The best works are published in the E - journal "Dialogue".

Discussions on: the forming culture of the information society and its categorial structure; the changes in communication, thinking way of living, technologies, social relations, political realities and economics.

Main idea: to show the culture of the information society through the eyes of its contemporaries - the students beginning their higher education in the beginning of the XXI century.

Dates, Time and duration of the seminar: The seminar consists of six to seven classes, 75 minutes each, conducted in two weeks in the middle or the end of the semester. Opportunity for participation will be offered mostly to the first year students but it is generally open to everyone at the Academy.

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Contemporary Social Philosophy

(lecturer - head assistant Ph.D. Ivan Verbanov)

Autumn - Winter 2001/2002:                   from .... 2001 to ... 2002

I. Seminar Description

This is an interdisciplinary seminar, inspired by the work of the winner of the Nobel prize in Economics F. A. von Hayek. The seminar presents some of the leading contemporary authors in the field of the social and political theory and the relations of their ideas to the most important present-day problems of Bulgaria and the rest of the East-European countries.

a) The exact place of the contents of the seminar in philosophy as a subject

This seminar is satellite to the main course on philosophy in the Academy of Economics "S. A. Tsenov". 

The stress in this seminar is on the problems of the scientific style, the epistemology and the methodology of the social sciences, the attitudes towards the division of labor and the erudition in society, on the types of public peace, the conceptions about freedom and the connection between freedom and responsibility, the equality, individualism, democracy, the state, justice, property, markets and planning.

b) The exact place of the seminar in the educational program

The seminar takes place during the first semester of 2001/2002. There will be 8 classes 75 minutes each.

II. Objectives and goals

The main goal of the seminar is to stimulate the alternative social and political thinking of the students.

Its second aim is to overcome the distance between lecture and seminary by using new ways of teaching like discussion, work in little groups, portfolio e. c., modern informational technologies like Internet, Power Point, multimedia presentations, chat - room and so on.

a) Academic Aims:

This seminary has the goal to overcome the distances between Philosophy and Social sciences. The relations between the ideas of Philosophers like Plato, Aristotle Aurelius August, Nicolo Macciavelly, Thomas Hobbs, Jan - Jack Russeau, Emanuel Kant, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Karl Popper, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, Michael Polanyi, Fernan Braudell, John Rawls and so on will be discussed.

The seminary has the following tasks:

Ø         to introduce the students to the style of thinking of the different authors and epistemological and methodical grounds of their social, political and economical ideas;

Ø         to be analyzed their conceptions about the society;

Ø         to be examined their socio-political theories;

Ø         to be clarified the relations between socio-political and economical theories;

Ø         to be focused on the relation of the examined authors' ideas to the typical for the modern Central and Eastern Europe practical and conceptional problems of the social sciences.

b) Cognitive Results:

At the end of the seminary the students will gain deeper and more accurate understanding of the relation between free society, democracy, the individual and national freedom, the individual and collective responsibility, the types of equality and justice, the types social and economical order and so on.

III. Methods by the means of which the aims and tasks will be achieved:

a) Educational Methods:

Every academic hour of 75 minutes will be divided into a lecture (40 min) and a discussion (35 min). This correlation will be changed and gradually the part of the discussions will arise, and lectures will decrease. By using slides, multimedia and Power Point presentations the main ideas, problems and conclusions on each item will be visualized.

The items and the reading texts texts on each theme will be given to the students in the very beginning to enable them to get ready for the following tasks. Each task will begin with a frame of its main points and aims. It ends with a summary of the main conclusions and the most important terms presented for the first time. The students will be able to discuss the texts read and the problems, which they met in the process of their preparation, as well at the time of the lectures as by E-mail.

b) Methods of Evaluation:

Together with its ground course in philosophy, the participants in the seminary will be evaluated according to the quality of their individual and team work as well through the seminary as outside it.

You must write an individual text (synapsis, essay, thesis, e. c.) in size of 2500 words. You have to analyze the workability of the different aspects of a depicted author's views in the Bulgarian society. It will bring you maximum 100 points.

Your final evaluation will be a combination of your work in the main course (taking part in the discussions at the three levels of the seminary tasks), taking part in the discussions during the time of that facultative seminary and your essay - maximum 100 points. Totally up to 200 points.

IV. Literature:

Braudel, Fernand. Civilization and Capitalism: 15th - 18th Century. Vol.II. New York: Harper & Row, 1982.

Friedman, M. Capitalism and Freedom. Chicago and London, 1982.

Hayek, F. A. The Counter-revolution of Science: Studies on the Abuse of Reason, Sofia, 1997

Hayek, F.A. The Сonstitution of Liberty. Chicago, 1960.

Polanyi, K. The Livelihood of Man. N.Y., Еd. H.W. Pearson, 1977.

Polanyi, Michael. Personal Knowledge. London, 1958.

Popper, K.R. The Poverty of Historicism. London, 1957.

Rawls, J. A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, 1971.

Платон: Държавата, С, 1981

Аристотел: Никомахова етика. С., 1993

Аристотел: Атинската полития. С., 1993

Николо Макиавели, “Князът” (“Владетелят”)

Макиавели, Н. Избрани съчинения, С, 1985

Хобс, Томас, Левиатан. С., 1969

Русо, Ж.Ж. За обществения договор. С., 1996

Кант, Имануел, Антропология от прагматично гледище. С., 1992

Кант, И. Основи на метафизиката на нравите. С., 1974.

Кант, Имануел, Към вечния мир. Философски проект. БАН, 1977

Смит, А. Богатството на нациите. С., 1983.

Маркс, К. Икономическо-философски ръкописи от 1844 г. Т.42. С., 1978.

Маркс, К. Икономически ръкописи от 1857-1859 г. Т.46, ч.I. С., 1978.

Маркс, К. Критика на политическата икономия. Т.46, ч.I. С., 1978.

Мил, Дж.С. За свободата. С., 1993.

Вебер, М. Протестантската етика и духът на капитализма. С., 1993.

Атали, Ж., М.Гийом. Икономиката на свобода. С., 1994.

Бъргър, Б. (ред.) Култура на предприемачеството. С., Университетско издателство "Стопанство", 1994.

Гълбрайт, Дж. Анатомия на властта. С., 1993.

Тофлър, Алвин. Прогнози и предпоставки. С., 1992.

Тофлър, Алвин. Третата вълна. С., 1991.

Тофлър, Алвин. Шок от бъдещето. С., 1992.

Хайек, Ф. А.  Право, законодателство, свобода - в три тома, София, 1998

Фридрих фон Хайек. За "смисъла" н обществените институции. - Д е м о к р а т и ч е с ки  преглед, книга 33, есен 1997.

Фридрих фон Хайек. Свобода и независимост - увеличаване броя на професионално зависимите. - Д е м о к р а т и ч е с к и преглед, книга 33, есен 1997.

Хайек, Ф.А. Дорога к рабству. -  В о п р о с ы философии, 1990, № 10, 11 и 12.

Хайек, Ф.А. Нови изследвания в областта на философията, политиката, икономиката и историята на идеите. - И к о н о м и ч е с к а мисъл, 1994, № 2.

Хайек, Ф.А. Принципи на либералния обществен ред. - П а н о р а м а, 1992, 1-2.

Хайек, Ф. Фаталната самонадеяност. Грешките на социализма. С., 1997.

Полани М. Личностное познание. М., 1984.

Поппер, К.Р. Логика и рост научного знания. М., 1983.

Попър, К.Р. Отвореното общество и неговите врагове. Т.1, С., 1993.

Пшеворски, А. Демокрацията и пазарът. Политическите и икономическите реформи в Източна Европа и Латинска Америка. С., 1991.

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