The Department - the first of this type in Poland - has been established in 1952 by prof. Józef Iwanicki; in 1956-1986 Departmented by prof. Stanisław Kamiński and from 1986 on by prof. Andrzej Bronk. Current members are: dr Robert Kublikowski, dr hab. Agnieszka Lekka-Kowalik, dr Stanisław Majdański, dr hab. Monika Walczak, dr Agnieszka Salamucha; doctoral candidates: mgr Robert Łyczek, mgr Andrzej Styra, mgr Waldemar Zaręba.

 

The Department of the Methodology of Sciences develops both research and teaching activities. Research focuses on the methodological status of various types of knowledge: scientific, philosophical, theological and broadly understood general logic (logical theory of language, theory of argumentation, theory of discussion). Current research topics include:

  1. a methodological and epistemological characteristic of some basic concepts of general methodology (e.g. method, language, justification, reasoning, objectivity), and of particular methodologies (especially of pedagogy, and of the studies of religion);
  2. the role of discursive procedures and acts of intuition in cognition;
  3. epistemic and non-epistemic value of various types of knowledge (especially: epistemic qualification of religion as rational, true, justified, etc.), their role in society and culture, and relations of science to other domains of culture (especially science and religion). Some issues related to fundamental epistemic values (such as truth, objectivity, rationality) are also investigated;
  4. the ideals of value-neutral and of value-laden science;
  5. relations between science and society and their changes (science as an epistemic authority, social responsibility of scientists, an impact of ontological presuppositions on understanding society);
  6. logical theory of language, theory of definition, theory of argumentation. For these lines of research there are both theoretical reasons (the recognition of the impact of cultural, social etc. factors on doing science and its results) and practical reasons (the crisis of confidence in science along with questioning science's rationality and its special status as knowledge). Some research are dedicated to methodical issues of scientific work, to critical thinking, and to methodological counseling.

The members of the Department regularly present results of their research at national and international conferences and in publications in various languages. They published five volumes of Stanisław Kamiński's selected works. Recent books are: P. Kawalec (now the Department of the Methodology of Philosophy), Przyczyna i wyjaśnianie (Cause and Explanation, 2006); M. Walczak, Racjonalność nauki (The Rationality of Science, 2006); A. Lekka-Kowalik, Odkrywanie aksjologicznego wymiaru nauki (Discovering the Axiological Dimension of Science, 2008). Planned: Methodology of Science Yesterday and Today (ed. by M. Walczak). They are also invited to lecture in other universities (e.g. the University of Helsinki/Finland, Holy Family University, Philadelphia/USA, the University of Murcia/Spain, the Gregorian University/Rome).

 

The members of the Department deliver courses in practical logic, critical thinking, the theory of knowledge and science in almost all other Faculties of KUL; each year a few monograph lectures in English are also given.

From the academic year 2001/2002 on Department organizes the Stanisław Kamiński „Memorial Lectures" and invites prominent philosophers from abroad: Barry Smith (2002), Richard Swinburne (2003), John Searle (2004), Peter Simons (2005), Simon Blackburn (2006), Susan Haack (2007), Peter van Inwagen (2008); planned: William Sweet (2009), Eleonore Stump (2010). Recently the following conferences were organized: Metodological Ideas of Stanisław Kamiński (2006); „The Methodology of Science Yesterday and Today" (2008); „Anti-naturalism in Philosophy and the Social Sciences" (2008, with the Department of the Methodology of Philosophy).