Commission on the Philosophy of Sciences

The commission was brought into existence by a resolution of the PAU Council of 26 June 2012 and as a result of the union of two previously existing commissions: Philosophy of the Natural Sciences and Fides et Ratio. The first, which was formed in 2005 on the initiative of prof. Jerzy Janik, was the professor’s original idea based on his experiences of interdisciplinary meetings dating back to his encounters with Cardinal Karol Wojtyła.
Its purpose was to engage in scientific reflection on the borderline between philosophy and the sciences addressed by Faculties III, IV, and V of PAU; it published five volumes of proceedings. The aim of the second, which was established in 2007 by Rev. prof. Michal Heller and a group of other PAU members, was to reflect in a scientific fashion on the thought of Jan Paweł II, including by examining the broad intellectual context of this thought in the contemporary world.
Fides et Ratio issued two books of proceedings. As the successor of the two previous commissions, PAU Philosophy of Science combines the programmes of both.
The reflection the commission cultivates continues and develops a long tradition of thought on the philosophy of the natural sciences in Kraków that reaches back into the nineteenth century. This style of thinking, which distinguishes the commission and is situated in an interdisciplinary context at the intersection of the exact sciences, philosophy and theology, enables scholars working in different fields of knowledge to meet and hold fruitful discussions on the fundamental philosophical issues shaping science in the past and present.
Its research interests include formal sciences such as mathematics, physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, the cognitive sciences, as well as the humanities and the arts. The Philosophy of Science Commission is committed to a programme of 'philosophy in science', which considers the influence of philosophical ideas on the formation of scientific theories, traces the traditional philosophical problems involved with these theories, and reflects philosophically on the assumptions of the empirical sciences.
This approach reveals science’s continuity with the philosophical heritage of European thought, whose origins lie in ancient Greek philosophy, in a particular way. Its reflections on science and its role in culture direct the commission’s attention to theological issues and, in particular, to the dialogue between science and theology and the related methodological and historical issues.
At the commission’s monthly meetings, selected topics are presented by eminent scientists, philosophers, and theologians. The Krakow Methodological Conferences, a series of philosophical conferences with a well-established national and international reputation, are organised annually in conjunction with the commission. It also organises occasional conferences, including on the anniversaries of various events and of the works of outstanding Polish and foreign scientists.
The Philosophy of Science commission publishes the work of members and invited guests in the pages of the journal Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce [Philosophical Problems in Science], which is indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases and elsewhere. This work fills either entire issues of the journal (no. 57, no. 58, no. 59, no. 62) or appears in the relevant section of Z prac komisji Filozofii Nauk PAU [Proceedings of the PAU Philosophy of Science Commission].
The work of the commission is available online with open access on the journal’s webpage: https://zfn.edu.pl/

Commission Members