The course is opened for both international and Czech students; passive knowledge of English is required. The<br>
course focuses on the theoretical and philosophical foundations of medicine, covering subjects related to both the<br>
clinical and academic competencies of future physicians. Through a series of lectures and close-reading<br>
sessions, key concepts in medical theory will be explored. Each session will consist of two parts: a lecture<br>
introducing the topic and a discussion of a key text relevant to the subject, read by students in advance. Students will develop their academic<br>
skills (close reading, discussion, argumentative skills, etc.) and gain a broad understanding of their future clinical <br>
practice. <br>
Last update: Linka Vojtěch, Mgr., Ph.D. (14.01.2026)
The course is opened for both international and Czech students; passive knowledge of English is required. The<br>
course focuses on the theoretical and philosophical foundations of medicine, covering subjects related to both the<br>
clinical and academic competencies of future physicians. Through a series of lectures and close-reading<br>
sessions, key concepts in medical theory will be explored. Each session will consist of two parts: a lecture<br>
introducing the topic and a discussion of a key text relevant to the subject, read by students in advance. Students will develop their academic<br>
skills (close reading, discussion, argumentative skills, etc.) and gain a broad understanding of their future clinical <br>
practice. <br>
Last update: Linka Vojtěch, Mgr., Ph.D. (14.01.2026)
Course completion requirements -
A written assignment (1000-2000 words) based on the lectures and key texts discussed during the seminar
Last update: Linka Vojtěch, Mgr., Ph.D. (14.01.2026)
A written assignment (1000-2000 words) based on the lectures and key texts discussed during the seminar
Last update: Linka Vojtěch, Mgr., Ph.D. (14.01.2026)
Literature -
Required reading is listed in the syllabus. All texts are available in Moodle.
Last update: Linka Vojtěch, Mgr., Ph.D. (14.01.2026)
Required reading is listed in the syllabus. All texts are available in Moodle.
Last update: Linka Vojtěch, Mgr., Ph.D. (14.01.2026)
Syllabus -
16.2. No lecture
23.2. Introduction: The course overview, information on evaluation, etc. Introductory lecture: Why Philosophy of Medicine? A Question of Paradigms
2.3. Hippocrates Strikes Back: Ancient roots of Western medicine
Text: Corpus Hippocraticum: Hippocratic Oath, On Ancient Medicine, On the Nature of Man
9.3. From Hysteria to COVID: The normal and the pathological from the 19th to the 21st century
Text: Georges Canguilhem: The Normal and the Pathological (Introduction and Chapter One, pp. 33-46)
16.3. Physicians and Patients: Social and political aspects of medicine
Text: Ivan Illich: Medical Nemesis: The Expropriation of Health (parts I and II, pp. 5-43)
23.3. Doctor House and Jesus: cultural and religious aspects of medicine
Text: Arthur M. Kleinman, Medicine's Symbolic Reality: On a Central Problem in the Philosophy of Medicine (in Good et al., Reader in Medical Anthropology, pp. 85-90)
30.3. Health and Disease: What is the goal of medicine?
Text: Christopher Boorse — Health as a Theoretical Concept (1977)
6.4. No lecture
13.4. Life and Death: Limits of medicine (if any)
Text: Leon R. Kass, Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity (introduction, pp. 1-26)
20.4. Body and Mind: What do I cure?
Text: George Engel, The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biomedicine
27.4. Art or Science? Evidence-based medicine
Text: David L. Sackett et al., Evidence-Based Medicine: What It Is and What It Isn’t
4.5. Whom Do I Cure? The patient-centred approach
Text: Stewart, M. et al., Patient-Centered Medicine: Transforming the Clinical Method (The First Component: Exploring Health, Disease, and the Illness Experience, pp. 60-92)
11.5. Who Cares? The physician in the age of AI
Text: European Commission’s statement on AI in Healthcare
Last update: Linka Vojtěch, Mgr., Ph.D. (29.01.2026)
16.2. No lecture
23.2. Introduction: The course overview, information on evaluation, etc. Introductory lecture: Why Philosophy of Medicine? A Question of Paradigms
2.3. Hippocrates Strikes Back: Ancient roots of Western medicine
Text: Corpus Hippocraticum: Hippocratic Oath, On Ancient Medicine, On the Nature of Man
9.3. From Hysteria to COVID: The normal and the pathological from the 19th to the 21st century
Text: Georges Canguilhem: The Normal and the Pathological (Introduction and Chapter One, pp. 33-46)
16.3. Physicians and Patients: Social and political aspects of medicine
Text: Ivan Illich: Medical Nemesis: The Expropriation of Health (parts I and II, pp. 5-43)
23.3. Doctor House and Jesus: cultural and religious aspects of medicine
Text: Arthur M. Kleinman, Medicine's Symbolic Reality: On a Central Problem in the Philosophy of Medicine (in Good et al., Reader in Medical Anthropology, pp. 85-90)
30.3. Health and Disease: What is the goal of medicine?
Text: Christopher Boorse — Health as a Theoretical Concept (1977)
6.4. No lecture
13.4. Life and Death: Limits of medicine (if any)
Text: Leon R. Kass, Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity (introduction, pp. 1-26)
20.4. Body and Mind: What do I cure?
Text: George Engel, The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biomedicine
27.4. Art or Science? Evidence-based medicine
Text: David L. Sackett et al., Evidence-Based Medicine: What It Is and What It Isn’t
4.5. Whom Do I Cure? The patient-centred approach
Text: Stewart, M. et al., Patient-Centered Medicine: Transforming the Clinical Method (The First Component: Exploring Health, Disease, and the Illness Experience, pp. 60-92)
11.5. Who Cares? The physician in the age of AI
Text: European Commission’s statement on AI in Healthcare
