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Vitalism and the Scientific Image: an Introduction
Vitalism and the scientific image: an introduction Sebastian Normandin and Charles T. Wolfe Vitalism and the scientific image in post-Enlightenment life science, 1800-2010 Edited by Sebastian Normandin and Charles T. Wolfe Springer, forthcoming 2013 To undertake a history of vitalism at this stage in the development of the ‘biosciences’, theoretical and other, is a stimulating prospect. We have entered the age of ‘synthetic’ life, and our newfound capacities prompt us to consider new levels of analysis and understanding. At the same time, it is possible to detect a growing level of interest in vitalistic and organismic themes, understood in a broadly naturalistic context and approached, not so much from broader cultural concerns as in the early twentieth century, as from scientific interests – or interests lying at the boundaries or liminal spaces of what counts as ‘science’.1 The challenge of understanding or theorizing vitalism in the era of the synthetic is not unlike that posed by early nineteenth-century successes in chemistry allowing for the synthesis of organic compounds (Wöhler), except that now, whether the motivation is molecular-chemical, embryological or physiological,2 we find ourselves asking fundamental questions anew. What is life? How does it differ from non-living matter? What are the fundamental processes that characterize the living? What philosophical and epistemological considerations are raised by our new understandings?3 We are driven to consider, for example, what metaphors we use to describe living processes as our knowledge of them changes, not least since some of the opprobrium surrounding the term ‘vitalism’ is also a matter of language: of which terms one 1 Gilbert and Sarkar 2000, Laublichler 2000. -
Rickert, Weber, and the Dual Contrast Theory∗
Chapter published in I. Bryan, P. Langford & J. McGarry (eds.), The Foundation of the Juridico-Political: Concept Formation in Hans Kelsen and Max Weber, London, Routledge, 2016, 77-96. PLEASE QUOTE FROM PUBLISHED VERSION ONLY Addressing the Specificity of Social Concepts: Rickert, Weber, and the Dual Contrast Theory∗ Arnaud Dewalque, University of Liège One of the greatest sources of perplexity in Weberian studies centres upon the fact that Max Weber’s epistemological reflexions are located at the intersection between two competing paradigms. On the one side, they are tied to Johannes Von Kries’ theory of ‘objective possibilities’ and causal imputation.1 On the other, they developed under the much-debated influence of Heinrich Rickert’s theory of concept formation in the historical sciences.2 Now, these two paradigms seem initially hardly compatible with each other, since the first one is generally regarded as having a naturalistic orientation while the second is explicitly supported by an anti-naturalistic form of thought. Hence, the fact that Weber’s epistemological reflexions may be properly described as located ‘between Rickert and Von Kries’3 creates a puzzling situation: How are these two competing paradigms supposed to be combined into one single, coherent perspective, as appears to be the case in Weber’s early epistemological or methodological essays? Thus, it is not surprising that one recent, important question for investigation has been whether Weber’s methodology may be considered to have the character a consistent theory, and, if it does, whether such an integrative approach really is capable of illuminating the methodological procedures actually used in the social sciences – or, at least, some relevant aspects thereof. -
Collisions with Hegel in Bertolt Brecht's Early Materialism DISSERTATIO
“Und das Geistige, das sehen Sie, das ist nichts.” Collisions with Hegel in Bertolt Brecht’s Early Materialism DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Jesse C. Wood, B.A., M.A. Graduate Program in Germanic Languages and Literatures The Ohio State University 2012 Committee Members: John Davidson, Advisor Bernd Fischer Bernhard Malkmus Copyright by Jesse C. Wood 2012 Abstract Bertolt Brecht began an intense engagement with Marxism in 1928 that would permanently shape his own thought and creative production. Brecht himself maintained that important aspects resonating with Marxist theory had been central, if unwittingly so, to his earlier, pre-1928 works. A careful analysis of his early plays, poetry, prose, essays, and journal entries indeed reveals a unique form of materialism that entails essential components of the dialectical materialism he would later develop through his understanding of Marx; it also invites a similar retroactive application of other ideas that Brecht would only encounter in later readings, namely those of the philosophy of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Initially a direct result of and component of his discovery of Marx, Brecht’s study of Hegel would last throughout the rest of his career, and the influence of Hegel has been explicitly traced in a number Brecht’s post-1928 works. While scholars have discovered proto-Marxist traces in his early work, the possibilities of the young Brecht’s affinities with the idealist philosopher have not been explored. Although ultimately an opposition between the idealist Hegel and the young Bürgerschreck Brecht is to be expected, one finds a surprising number of instances where the two men share an unlikely commonality of imagery. -
Switching Gestalts on Gestalt Psychology: on the Relation Between Science and Philosophy
Switching Gestalts on Gestalt Psychology: On the Relation between Science and Philosophy Jordi Cat Indiana University The distinction between science and philosophy plays a central role in meth- odological, programmatic and institutional debates. Discussions of disciplin- ary identities typically focus on boundaries or else on genealogies, yielding models of demarcation and models of dynamics. Considerations of a disci- pline’s self-image, often based on history, often plays an important role in the values, projects and practices of its members. Recent focus on the dynamics of scientiªc change supplements Kuhnian neat model with a role for philoso- phy and yields a model of the evolution of philosophy of science. This view il- luminates important aspects of science and itself contributes to philosophy of science. This interactive model is general yet based on exclusive attention to physics. In this paper and two sequels, I focus on the human sciences and ar- gue that their role in the history of philosophy of science is just as important and it also involves a close involvement of the history of philosophy. The focus is on Gestalt psychology and it points to some lessons for philosophy of science. But, unlike the discussion of natural sciences, the discussion here brings out more complication than explication, and skews certain kinds of generaliza- tions. 1. How Do Science and Philosophy Relate to Each Other? a) As Nietzsche put it in the Genealogy of Morals: “Only that which has no history can be deªned.” This notion should make us wary of Heideggerian etymology, conceptual analysis and even Michael Friedman’s relativized, dialectical, post-Kuhnian Hegelianism alike. -
Husserl's Position Between Dilthey and the Windelband-Rickert School of Neo-Kantianism John E
Sacred Heart University DigitalCommons@SHU Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Publications 4-1988 Husserl's Position Between Dilthey and the Windelband-Rickert School of Neo-Kantianism John E. Jalbert Sacred Heart University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/rel_fac Part of the Philosophy of Mind Commons, and the Philosophy of Science Commons Recommended Citation Jalbert, John E. "Husserl's Position Between Dilthey and the Windelband-Rickert School of Neo-Kantianism." Journal of the History of Philosophy 26.2 (1988): 279-296. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies at DigitalCommons@SHU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@SHU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. +XVVHUO V3RVLWLRQ%HWZHHQ'LOWKH\DQGWKH:LQGHOEDQG5LFNHUW 6FKRRORI1HR.DQWLDQLVP John E. Jalbert Journal of the History of Philosophy, Volume 26, Number 2, April 1988, pp. 279-296 (Article) 3XEOLVKHGE\7KH-RKQV+RSNLQV8QLYHUVLW\3UHVV DOI: 10.1353/hph.1988.0045 For additional information about this article http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/hph/summary/v026/26.2jalbert.html Access provided by Sacred Heart University (5 Dec 2014 12:35 GMT) Husserl's Position Between Dilthey and the Windelband- Rickert School of Neo- Kanuamsm JOHN E. JALBERT THE CONTROVERSY AND DEBATE over the character of the relationship between the natural and human sciences (Natur- und Geisteswissenschaflen) became a central theme for philosophical reflection largely through the efforts of theo- rists such as Wilhelm Dilthey and the two principal representatives of the Baden School of Neo-Kantians, Wilhelm Windelband and Heinrich Rickert.~ These turn of the century theorists are major figures in this philosophical arena, but they are by no means the only participants in the effort to grapple with this issue. -
The Limit of Logicism in Epistemology: a Critique of the Marburg and Freiburg Schools” ______
Journal of World Philosophies Articles/1 Translation of Tanabe Hajime’s “The Limit of Logicism in Epistemology: A Critique of the Marburg and Freiburg Schools” _____________________________________ TAKESHI MORISATO Université libre de Bruxelles ([email protected]) This article provides the first English translation of Tanabe’s early essay, “The Limit of Logicism in Epistemology: A Critique of the Marburg and Freiburg Schools” (1914). The key notion that the young Tanabe seeks to define in relation to his detailed analyses of contemporary Neo-Kantian epistemology is the notion of “pure experience” presented in Nishida’s philosophy. The general theory of epistemology shared among the thinkers from these two prominent schools of philosophy in early 20th century Germany aimed to eliminate the empirical residues in Kant’s theory of knowledge while opposing naïve empiricism and the uncritical methodology of positive science. Their “logicistic” approach, according to Tanabe, seems to contradict Nishida’s notion of pure experience, for it cannot allow any vestige of empiricism in its systematic framework, which is specifically designed to ground scientific knowledge. Yet given that the Neo-Kantian configuration of epistemology does not create the object of knowledge, it must face sensation or representational content as its limiting instance. Thus, to ground a Neo-Kantian theory of knowledge while taking account of this limit of logicism involves explaining their understanding of the unity of subject and object in human knowing. For this, -
HISTORY AS the ORGANON of PHILOSOPHY: a LINK BETWEEN the CRITICAL METHOD and the PHILOSOPHY of HISTORY Jacinto Páez
HISTORY AS THE ORGANON OF PHILOSOPHY: A LINK BETWEEN THE CRITICAL METHOD AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY Jacinto Páez Abstract: In recent years, the Neo-Kantian movement has received wide acknowledgment as the hidden origin of several contemporary philo- sophical discussions. This paper focuses on one specific Neo-Kantian topic; namely, the idea of history put forward by Wilhelm Windelband (1848–1915). Even though this topic could be seen as one of the better- known Neo-Kantianism themes, there are certain unnoticed elements in Windelband’s treatment of history that merit further discussion. While the texts in which Windelband deals with the logical problems of the historical sciences have been studied at length, other texts, those in which history is studied in connection with the problem of the philosophical method, have not. This paper argues that, for Windelband, history is not merely an object of epistemological reflection but rather a key component of transcendental philosophy. Introduction This paper analyzes one aspect of Wilhelm Windelband’s idea of history; namely, the claim that history serves as the proper organon for the system of philosophical knowledge. In addressing this topic I have two goals in mind. On the one hand, I aim to clarify Windelband’s conception of the relationship between philosophical research and historical thinking. On the other hand, I intend to explain how Windelband came to ascribe such a preponderant role to history. By doing so, I will develop a critique of the way in which this Neo-Kantian author is commonly interpreted, and, more importantly, I will set the grounds to assess Windelband’s original contribution to the understanding of the transcendental method. -
Marburg Neo-Kantianism As Philosophy of Culture
SamanthaMatherne (Santa Cruz) Marburg Neo-Kantianism as Philosophy of Culture 1Introduction Although Ernst Cassirer is correctlyregarded as one of the foremost figures in the Neo-Kantian movement thatdominated Germanyfrom 1870 – 1920,specifying ex- actlywhat his Neo-Kantianism amountstocan be achallenge. Not onlymustwe clarify what his commitments are as amember of the so-called MarburgSchool of Neo-Kantianism, but also giventhe shift between his earlyphilosophyof mathematics and naturalscience to his later philosophyofculture, we must con- sider to what extent he remained aMarburgNeo-Kantian throughout his career. With regard to the first task, it is typical to approach the MarburgSchool, which was foundedbyHermann Cohen and Paul Natorp, by wayofacontrast with the otherdominant school of Neo-Kantianism, the Southwest or Baden School, founded by Wilhelm Windelband and carried forward by Heinrich Rick- ert and Emil Lask. The going assumption is that these two schools were ‘rivals’ in the sense that the MarburgSchool focused exclusively on developing aKantian approach to mathematical natural sciences(Naturwissenschaften), while the Southwest School privileged issues relatingtonormativity and value, hence their primary focus on the humanities (Geisteswissenschaften). If one accepts this ‘scientist’ interpretation of the MarburgSchool, one is tempted to read Cas- sirer’searlywork on mathematicsand natural science as orthodoxMarburgNeo- Kantianism and to then regardhis laterwork on the philosophyofculture as a break from his predecessors, veeringcloser -
Ricœur's Narrative Theory Applied to Science
Chapter 4 The Universality of Hermeneutic and Narrative Experience: Ricœur’s Narrative Theory Applied to Science 1 Introduction In this chapter, the significance of hermeneutics for both natural sciences and the humanities will be emphasized. Mary Hesse (1980) points to two reasons for placing hermeneutics as a more important factor in relation to natural sci- ences than it has previously seemed to be. First, it indicates that it is impos- sible to make a distinction between the mode of knowledge connected to one’s self-understanding in studying the theory of evolution, ecology, or genetics. This means that human values shall be included in the applications of such theories and also that the categories of these theories, such as functionality, selection, and survival, have been conditioned by a man’s comprehension of himself. Second, theories have always represented a part of the internal com- munication system in a particular society. In this case, even the comprehen- sion of nature has been formulated by human meanings. The main distinction between natural sciences and the humanities in the history of science was based on the distinction between explanation (Erk- lären) and understanding (Verstehen). This relationship often reflected the relationship between the natural sciences and the humanities in the history of science. This distinction emphasizes the difference between natural and social phenomena and implies the existence of binary oppositions in science, such as natural/social, objective/subjective, fixed/constructed. 2 Explanation and Understanding in the History of Science and Philosophy Three main approaches to the relation between the natural sciences and the humanities can be identified in the history of philosophy. -
The Influence of the German Idealist Tradition Upon Weberian Thought
13 THE INFLUENCE OF THE GERMAN IDEALIST TRADITION UPON WEBERIAN THOUGHT by Nancy Herman ABSTRACT Max Weber was one of the prominant social figures in this history of the social sciences for he made significant contributions to the development of anthropology, sociology and social theory as a whole. Weber's aim was explicit: he wanted to develop a 'scientific study of man and society:' he sought not only to delineate the scope of the discipline but also wanted to construct a clear-cut methodology whereby data could be rigorously studied in accordance with the testable procedures of science. This paper discusses the influence of the German idealist tradition upon Max Weber. Specifically, this study critically examines Weberion thought in terms of illustrating how he combined the Germanic emphasis on the search for subjective meanings with the positivist notion of scientific rigor, and in so doing was able to bridge the. dichotomy between the idealist and positivist traditions. RESUME Max Weber fut l'une des personalites illustres de l'historie des sciences sociales car il apporta une contribution importante au developpement de l'anthropologie, de la sociologie, et de la theorie social dans son ensemble. Le but de Weber etait clair: il vou1 ait organi ser une etude scientifique de l'homme et de la societe: i1 cherchait non seu1ement a delimiter le domaine de la discipline, mais aussi a delimiter une methodol ogi e preci se qui permettrait une etude rigoureuse des donnees en accord avec les procedes fiables de la science. Cet article measure l'inf1uence de la tradition idealiste allemande sur Max Weber. -
Axiological Justification of the Objective Norm by Heinrich Rickert
Ethics & Bioethics (in Central Europe), 2020, 10 (3–4), 173–178 DOI:10.2478/ebce-2020-0015 Axiological justification of the objective norm by Heinrich Rickert 1 Aleksander Bobko Abstract The aim of this paper is to show the main thesis concerning the theory of cognition of the eminent neo-Kantian Heinrich Rickert, as presented in his work “Der Gegenstand der Erkenntnis”. On the one hand, Rickert finds out that thinking is fated to “clash with nothingness”, thus creating a temptation to reject all rigours and to yield to complete discretion. On the other hand, he attributes axiological status to nothingness which subjects thinking to a particular kind of “ought”. In his view, the cognizing subject is faced with an axiological choice: either discretion or truth and argues that it is worth opting for truth. His argumentation could be an interesting point of reference for contemporary culture gradually moving away from the type of thinking rooted in objectively existing principles. Keywords: Heinrich Rickert, Values, objectiVity, norm Introduction It cannot be denied that contemporary culture has undermined the foundations of the traditionally understood objectivity of science, cognition and thinking itself. This is all the more interesting since some philosophical schools like pragmatism or postmodernism regard it as a positive change. For Richard Rorty, the inability to appeal to truth and the abandonment of claims to objective cognition is not a fault but, on the contrary, an advantage of human thought. This, he argues, makes it possible to remove restraints of, de facto apparent, rigour and create a non-committal community based on mutual sympathy and solidarity, permeated by freedom and methodological nonchalance. -
Painting Philosophically in 20Th Century Vienna: a Comparison of Gustav Klimt and Friedrich Nietzsche
Painting Philosophically in 20th Century Vienna: A Comparison of Gustav Klimt and Friedrich Nietzsche Research Thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with research distinction in Germanic Languages and Literatures in the undergraduate colleges of The Ohio State University by Erin Sankey The Ohio State University May 2017 Project Advisor: May Mergenthaler, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures Sankey 2 Introduction The controversy surrounding Gustav Klimt’s University of Vienna Ceiling paintings gives insight into the struggle between tradition and modernism during the secessionist art movement at the turn of the 20th century. The painting also provides new insights in the relationship between art and philosophy at the time. Klimt’s ceiling painting Philosophy of 1900 proved scandalous in its unconventional rendering of philosophy as a view of life rather than an academic discipline as expected by the University faculty who commissioned the painting. In this thesis, I will revisit the debates that surround the painting with the aim of reevaluating the way it depicts philosophy. Expanding on the positive evaluation of the piece at the time published by the Austrian playwright, director and critic Hermann Bahr and Professor of Art History Franz Wickhoff, I argue that we can discover new value in this painting as historically and artistically philosophical. This new value comes to the foreground through a juxtaposition of the painting with Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, published in 1891. The works of Klimt and Nietzsche have been compared before by scholars such as cultural historian Carl Schorske and art historian Lisa Florman. Lisa Florman focuses on the Apollonian and Dionysian contrast developed by Nietzsche in his Birth of Tragedy (1872) found in Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze (1901).