We are a non-university research institution whose primary mission is to contribute to the advancement of global research in philosophy and related disciplines, including classical and medieval studies, Comeniology, philosophy of science, and global studies.
In addition to conducting fundamental research aimed at expanding knowledge on an international level, we also take into account the cultural needs of contemporary Czech society. We facilitate the reception of global philosophical research in the Czech environment, maintain a strong connection between philosophy and related humanities disciplines in the Czech Republic, and actively participate in shaping European and global scholarship.
We also contribute to strengthening national identity through a critical examination of the history of the Czech lands and Central Europe, with a special focus on the intellectual contributions of significant thinkers from this region. Our core research outputs include scholarly books, monographs, and scientific articles, many of which are published internationally, as well as scientific conferences, colloquia, and lectures.
The Institute of Philosophy is the largest humanities and social sciences institute within the Czech Academy of Sciences. It currently comprises thirteen research departments, structured into four research clusters (see organisational chart). The chosen structure emphasises the plurality of philosophical schools and methods, the autonomy of research teams as well as individual researchers, and openness to interdisciplinary cooperation. At the same time, it reflects an effort to connect basic research with social relevance and to support long-term research projects.
Research Areas
- Logic, Language and Mind
This cluster focuses on the systematic study of the fundamental structures of thought, language and mental processes. It brings together logical, analytical and cognitive approaches to philosophical questions concerning rationality, meaning, consciousness and artificial intelligence.
Includes: Department of Logic and Department of Analytic Philosophy. - Contemporary Society: Politics, Ethics, Science and Technology
This cluster focuses on the critical reflection of contemporary society and its political, ethical and technological transformations. Primary methodological research, drawing above all on political philosophy, applied ethics and the study of globalisation, enables a better understanding of how science intersects in today’s world with art, technology, politics and everyday life. The research directly responds to the pressing issues of the present day: it addresses, for example, the impacts of the environmental crisis, transformations of democracy, the influence of rapid technological development, and the expectations we now have of science itself and its role in society.
Includes: Department of Contemporary Continental Philosophy; Department of Political Philosophy and Globalization Research; Centre for Environmental and Technology Ethics – Prague (CETE-P); Centre for Science, Technology and Society Studies. - Genealogies of European Thought
This cluster is dedicated to the historical and systematic study of the European history of thought from antiquity to the present, with a focus both on the history of philosophy and on intellectual history, including the formation and transformation of key notions, concepts and conceptions, as well as their later reception. The research is conducted, among other means, using modern digital methods and tools (digital humanities) and with attention to the regional specificities of Central Europe in a broader context.
Includes: Department for the Study of Ancient and Medieval Thought; Department for Comenius Studies and Early Modern Intellectual History; Department of Modern Philosophy and Its Traditions; Department of Modern Intellectual History and Philosophy of East-Central Europe; Jan Patočka Archive. - Premodern Worlds: Classical and Medieval Studies in an Interdisciplinary Perspective
This cluster represents interdisciplinary research into the ancient and medieval worlds, their languages, texts and cultures, as well as the study of the reception of classical traditions in later historical periods. It brings together philosophy, philology, history and other humanities disciplines, and is conducted, among other means, using modern digital methods and tools (digital humanities).
Includes: Centre for Classical Studies; Centre for Medieval Studies.
History
The Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences was established in 1990 as a reinstatement of the original Institute of Philosophy of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, which was founded on January 1, 1953 but was dissolved in 1970 for political reasons. On January 1, 2007, the institute transitioned from a state-funded organization to a public research institution.
Annual reports, founding documents, and further details about the institute can be found in the Documents section.
The history of the Jilská–Husova complex, which houses the Institute of Philosophy along with the Institute of Sociology and the Institute of Art History, is vividly depicted in the freely accessible e-book "House and Time" by František Pospíšil (Prague, 2016).
