Mark Coeckelbergh
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262035460
- eISBN:
- 9780262343084
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262035460.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
In chapter 4 it is argued that already in historical times the romantic relation to technology cannot be reduced to mere opposition. It is shown how in the early nineteenth century romantics were not ...
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In chapter 4 it is argued that already in historical times the romantic relation to technology cannot be reduced to mere opposition. It is shown how in the early nineteenth century romantics were not only fearful of, but also fascinated by the new science and technology. Drawing on Tresch (2012) and Holmes (2008) it is argued that there was a current in Romanticism which viewed science and the arts as entwined, and which tried to fuse the organic and the mechanic, life and science. These material romanticisms are neglected by philosophers of technology who reduce romanticism to escapism, nostalgia, or anti-machine thinking.
This brings us to our age, with its life sciences and its robotics that share these deeply material-romantic aims. First it is shown how in the 20th century there was a romantic science (Freud) and how technology and romanticism became very much entangled: not only in science fiction but also in reality: born as hippie computing in the context of the 1960s and 1970s counter-culture, there is a development of what we may call romantic devices.Less
In chapter 4 it is argued that already in historical times the romantic relation to technology cannot be reduced to mere opposition. It is shown how in the early nineteenth century romantics were not only fearful of, but also fascinated by the new science and technology. Drawing on Tresch (2012) and Holmes (2008) it is argued that there was a current in Romanticism which viewed science and the arts as entwined, and which tried to fuse the organic and the mechanic, life and science. These material romanticisms are neglected by philosophers of technology who reduce romanticism to escapism, nostalgia, or anti-machine thinking.
This brings us to our age, with its life sciences and its robotics that share these deeply material-romantic aims. First it is shown how in the 20th century there was a romantic science (Freud) and how technology and romanticism became very much entangled: not only in science fiction but also in reality: born as hippie computing in the context of the 1960s and 1970s counter-culture, there is a development of what we may call romantic devices.
Dalia Nassar
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780226084060
- eISBN:
- 9780226084237
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226084237.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
While the notion of the absolute is most often identified with Hegel’s philosophical system, The Romantic Absolute explicates the significance of the absolute in the epistemology and metaphysics of ...
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While the notion of the absolute is most often identified with Hegel’s philosophical system, The Romantic Absolute explicates the significance of the absolute in the epistemology and metaphysics of romantic thinkers between Kant and Hegel, and investigates the ways in which three major figures of philosophical romanticism--Friedrich von Hardenberg (Novalis), Friedrich Schlegel and Friedrich Schelling--sought to articulate a cogent conception of the absolute. The Romantic Absolute argues that for the romantics, the absolute was neither a solely epistemological nor a solely metaphysical idea, but encompassed both epistemology and metaphysics, and can thus only be understood from both perspectives. The romantics insisted that the absolute cannot be reduced to either being or knowing, because as absolute, it must underlie both. In turn, precisely because the absolute is the ground of being and knowing, the romantics concluded that it must be inherently relational. This relational conception of the absolute, i.e., of the absolute as the mediation of being and knowing, or as the realization of the infinite in the finite, is the most complex and innovative aspect of early romantic philosophy. In significant ways, The Romantic Absolute departs from the widespread view of romanticism as a skeptical movement that anticipates post-structuralism. By elaborating the distinctive character of the romantic conception of the absolute, The Romantic Absolute sheds new light on philosophical romanticism, and argues that in romantic thought, we find one of the most rigorous attempts to grasp the relation between mind and nature in a coherent, but non-reductive way.Less
While the notion of the absolute is most often identified with Hegel’s philosophical system, The Romantic Absolute explicates the significance of the absolute in the epistemology and metaphysics of romantic thinkers between Kant and Hegel, and investigates the ways in which three major figures of philosophical romanticism--Friedrich von Hardenberg (Novalis), Friedrich Schlegel and Friedrich Schelling--sought to articulate a cogent conception of the absolute. The Romantic Absolute argues that for the romantics, the absolute was neither a solely epistemological nor a solely metaphysical idea, but encompassed both epistemology and metaphysics, and can thus only be understood from both perspectives. The romantics insisted that the absolute cannot be reduced to either being or knowing, because as absolute, it must underlie both. In turn, precisely because the absolute is the ground of being and knowing, the romantics concluded that it must be inherently relational. This relational conception of the absolute, i.e., of the absolute as the mediation of being and knowing, or as the realization of the infinite in the finite, is the most complex and innovative aspect of early romantic philosophy. In significant ways, The Romantic Absolute departs from the widespread view of romanticism as a skeptical movement that anticipates post-structuralism. By elaborating the distinctive character of the romantic conception of the absolute, The Romantic Absolute sheds new light on philosophical romanticism, and argues that in romantic thought, we find one of the most rigorous attempts to grasp the relation between mind and nature in a coherent, but non-reductive way.
Jared S. Buss
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780813054438
- eISBN:
- 9780813053172
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813054438.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
The introduction provides an overview of Ley’s life and importance. It also presents a complex argument about the key features of romantic, popular science during the twentieth century. The section ...
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The introduction provides an overview of Ley’s life and importance. It also presents a complex argument about the key features of romantic, popular science during the twentieth century. The section makes interdisciplinary connections between German and American romantic science, popular science, and media studies, while providing a brief introduction to Ley, his legacy, and the themes of the book.Less
The introduction provides an overview of Ley’s life and importance. It also presents a complex argument about the key features of romantic, popular science during the twentieth century. The section makes interdisciplinary connections between German and American romantic science, popular science, and media studies, while providing a brief introduction to Ley, his legacy, and the themes of the book.
Jared S. Buss
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780813054438
- eISBN:
- 9780813053172
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813054438.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
Following the success of Conquest, Ley became quite famous as a “rocket scientist,” who could excite American audiences about the impending future of interplanetary travel and satellites. Along with ...
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Following the success of Conquest, Ley became quite famous as a “rocket scientist,” who could excite American audiences about the impending future of interplanetary travel and satellites. Along with von Braun, he contributed articles to notable magazines, while appearing on television programs such as Disney’s “Man in Space.” Ley’s latest edition of Rockets became a best-seller. This chapter documents Ley’s importance as a cultural producer, at a time when popular culture became saturated with images of rockets and space travel. From television’s Tom Corbett, Space Cadet to the design of Disneyland’s “Tomorrowland,” Ley was an ever-present figure, working behind the scenes. This chapter revisits themes of Ley’s romantic science, as it analyzes enchanted representations of spaceflight in popular media.Less
Following the success of Conquest, Ley became quite famous as a “rocket scientist,” who could excite American audiences about the impending future of interplanetary travel and satellites. Along with von Braun, he contributed articles to notable magazines, while appearing on television programs such as Disney’s “Man in Space.” Ley’s latest edition of Rockets became a best-seller. This chapter documents Ley’s importance as a cultural producer, at a time when popular culture became saturated with images of rockets and space travel. From television’s Tom Corbett, Space Cadet to the design of Disneyland’s “Tomorrowland,” Ley was an ever-present figure, working behind the scenes. This chapter revisits themes of Ley’s romantic science, as it analyzes enchanted representations of spaceflight in popular media.
Thomas Owens
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- July 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198840862
- eISBN:
- 9780191876479
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198840862.003.0008
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism, Poetry
The Introduction proposes that a series of speculative scientific analogies operate at the very centre of how Wordsworth and Coleridge perceived the world and how they expressed that perception, ...
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The Introduction proposes that a series of speculative scientific analogies operate at the very centre of how Wordsworth and Coleridge perceived the world and how they expressed that perception, revealing the brilliant inventiveness with which they transfigured the material universe. It establishes the conceptual value of analogy for the poets and suggests that focusing on the poets’ imaginative uses of analogy is a way to uncover the importance of scientific patterns, principally derived from mathematics and astronomy, for their poetic, religious, philosophical, and critical writing. This overturns the long-standing critical consensus that the Romantic poets were not interested or able to understand hard science and instead highlights the centrality of scientific structures in their creative thinking.Less
The Introduction proposes that a series of speculative scientific analogies operate at the very centre of how Wordsworth and Coleridge perceived the world and how they expressed that perception, revealing the brilliant inventiveness with which they transfigured the material universe. It establishes the conceptual value of analogy for the poets and suggests that focusing on the poets’ imaginative uses of analogy is a way to uncover the importance of scientific patterns, principally derived from mathematics and astronomy, for their poetic, religious, philosophical, and critical writing. This overturns the long-standing critical consensus that the Romantic poets were not interested or able to understand hard science and instead highlights the centrality of scientific structures in their creative thinking.
Dalia Nassar
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780226084060
- eISBN:
- 9780226084237
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226084237.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter offers a discussion of Novalis’ philosophy of nature, and his parallel concern with education and moral development. It argues that in both instances, Novalis is concerned with ...
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This chapter offers a discussion of Novalis’ philosophy of nature, and his parallel concern with education and moral development. It argues that in both instances, Novalis is concerned with “romanticizing” the world— whether it be through discerning the ideal in the real (nature), or instantiating the ideal through moral action— and argues that, for Novalis, understanding nature and undertaking moral action are interdependent activities. The chapter offers a detailed account of Novalis’ turn to the study of nature in 1797-98, demonstrates the significance and influence of Goethe on Novalis’ scientific practice, in particular, Goethe’s use of imagination in his study of nature. It then moves to explore Novalis’ notion of moral harmony, and shows that for Novalis, the activity of nature remains incomplete without moral activity.Less
This chapter offers a discussion of Novalis’ philosophy of nature, and his parallel concern with education and moral development. It argues that in both instances, Novalis is concerned with “romanticizing” the world— whether it be through discerning the ideal in the real (nature), or instantiating the ideal through moral action— and argues that, for Novalis, understanding nature and undertaking moral action are interdependent activities. The chapter offers a detailed account of Novalis’ turn to the study of nature in 1797-98, demonstrates the significance and influence of Goethe on Novalis’ scientific practice, in particular, Goethe’s use of imagination in his study of nature. It then moves to explore Novalis’ notion of moral harmony, and shows that for Novalis, the activity of nature remains incomplete without moral activity.
Dalia Nassar
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199976201
- eISBN:
- 9780199395507
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199976201.003.0017
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
Over the last two decades, environmental theorists have repeatedly pronounced the “end” of nature, arguing that the idea of nature is neither plausible nor desirable. This chapter offers an ...
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Over the last two decades, environmental theorists have repeatedly pronounced the “end” of nature, arguing that the idea of nature is neither plausible nor desirable. This chapter offers an environmental reappraisal of romanticism, in light of these critiques. Its goals are historical and systematic. First, the chapter assesses the validity of the environmentalist critique of the romantic conception of nature by distinguishing different strands within romanticism, and locating an empiricist strand in the natural-scientific work of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Second, the chapter considers the systematic significance of Goethe’s “romantic empiricism,” and argues that while an abstract notion of nature is problematic, a concrete conception achieved through the mutually supportive work of observation and reflection is essential for environmental thought.Less
Over the last two decades, environmental theorists have repeatedly pronounced the “end” of nature, arguing that the idea of nature is neither plausible nor desirable. This chapter offers an environmental reappraisal of romanticism, in light of these critiques. Its goals are historical and systematic. First, the chapter assesses the validity of the environmentalist critique of the romantic conception of nature by distinguishing different strands within romanticism, and locating an empiricist strand in the natural-scientific work of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Second, the chapter considers the systematic significance of Goethe’s “romantic empiricism,” and argues that while an abstract notion of nature is problematic, a concrete conception achieved through the mutually supportive work of observation and reflection is essential for environmental thought.
Dalia Nassar
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780226084060
- eISBN:
- 9780226084237
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226084237.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter explores Schlegel’s understanding of the relationship between the infinite and the finite, and shows how Schlegel seeks to conceive the relation in decisively different terms from the ...
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This chapter explores Schlegel’s understanding of the relationship between the infinite and the finite, and shows how Schlegel seeks to conceive the relation in decisively different terms from the relation between the unconditioned and conditioned. It argues that the infinite and finite are not two separate or distinct entities, such that the infinite precedes and predetermines the finite. Rather, the infinite and finite are reciprocally conditioning and conditioned grounds— the infinite is only in and through the finite, and vice versa. The chapter also illustrates that, according to Schlegel, being or reality is necessarily historical because it is always in a state of transition— the infinite becoming finite, and the finite becoming infinite. The chapter concludes with an exploration of Schlegel’s notion of “infinite becoming” and his view that nature is historical.Less
This chapter explores Schlegel’s understanding of the relationship between the infinite and the finite, and shows how Schlegel seeks to conceive the relation in decisively different terms from the relation between the unconditioned and conditioned. It argues that the infinite and finite are not two separate or distinct entities, such that the infinite precedes and predetermines the finite. Rather, the infinite and finite are reciprocally conditioning and conditioned grounds— the infinite is only in and through the finite, and vice versa. The chapter also illustrates that, according to Schlegel, being or reality is necessarily historical because it is always in a state of transition— the infinite becoming finite, and the finite becoming infinite. The chapter concludes with an exploration of Schlegel’s notion of “infinite becoming” and his view that nature is historical.
