History Of Philosophical And Scientific Ideas

The research activities of the department “History of Philosophical and Scientific Ideas” encompass three problematic circles: history of philosophy, contemporary philosophy, and history of science.

The first one is focused on the history of Bulgarian philosophical culture and publicity, its periods and most illustrious representatives, as well as the specific projections of the philosophical ideas in the areas of art and culture. Particular attention is put upon research reflecting the dynamics between foreign and domestic, the contribution of Bulgarian thinkers who have received recognition on the world stage of philosophy, as well as the role that philosophical ideas play in the formation of national identity.               

A priority of the research work in the field of “Contemporary philosophy” is the leading schools of continental philosophy, such as Phenomenology, Philosophical anthropology, Existential philosophy, Hermeneutics, Post-structuralism, Deconstruction, and others. Special emphasis is put upon the necessity of combining the fundamental scientific apparatus of Western European philosophy with contemporary applied methods, which are currently widely used in social, political, and culturological contexts.

The third circle incorporates historical and historiographical research upon all aspects of scientific activity, such as the development of scientific ideas, scientific institutions and scientific communication, traditional library and archive studies of Bulgarian science in Balkan and European context.