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.
As the largest humanities and social sciences research institution within the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Philosophy currently consists of fourteen research departments (see organizational structure).
Research Areas
- Contemporary Philosophical Issues and Their Intersection with Related Disciplines (Department of Analytic Philosophy, Department of Logic, Department of Contemporary Continental Philosophy, Department of Early Modern Rationality, Department of Political Philosophy and Globalization Research, Centre for Science, Technology & Society Studies
- History of European and Czech Philosophical Thought (Department of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Department of Comeniology and Intellectual History of Early Modern Period, Centre for Theoretical Studies – Jan Patočka Archive, Department of Modern Czech Philosophy)
- Selected Topics in Related Humanities Disciplines, Particularly Classical and Medieval Studies (Centre for Classical Studies, Joint research centers of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Charles University affiliated with the Institute of Philosophy: Centre for Medieval Studies and Centre for Theoretical 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).
