Image of the World as a Research Domain of the Humanities. Production, Distribution, Reception and Processing of the Images of the World
The aim of the project is to identify, analyse and interpret selected sociocultural constructions (images) of the world (in this context also the self-images of science), which currently strongly influence our understanding of the world. The methodology of the project is based on the scientific interpretation of reality (the world) as a social construction of reality (image). By the term image of the world we mean a specific way of organization of the elements of reality in a network of connections and relations. The probes into specific images of the world will be conducted by the use of methods developed and elaborated within the fields of literary science, philosophy and linguistics. Researchers from these disciplines will search for a wider transdisciplinary framework of communication, which would enable resonance among the sciences, but also between the sciences and the wider social environment.
The objectives of the project can be formulated in two interrelated steps: 1. to identify, analyse and interpret selected sociocultural constructions (images) of the world (in this context also the self-images of science), which currently strongly influence (or format) our cognitive systems; 2. reflect on the possibilities that the humanities have in the research of socio-cultural constructions (images) of the world – with regard to the internal contexts of individual sciences, but also with regard to the possible functional (research-productive) interdisciplinary intersections. The synergistic effect of fulfilling both of the sub-goals should contribute to the revitalization of the humanities as a competent and operative medium for the understanding of key processes in the present-day world. It could also contribute to the understanding of the processes taking place in the contemporary humanities, and provide stimulus for the current practice of these sciences, respectively for the current practice of science management. The ability to meet the set objectives is reflected in the composition of the research team, members of which represent several disciplines of the humanities, and all of them are capable to provide a qualified reflection of selected social constructions of the world. Members of the research team (represent literary studies, philosophy, linguistics) will use methods and procedures developed within their own disciplines. At the same time they are able to perceive the limits of their approach and to look for the interdisciplinary resonance (the ability to "specialize in connections").