The analytic methods of Groddeck and Jung in light of the philosophy of nature.

The philosophy of nature as Jung's background has been overlooked, despite its relevance for understanding the roots of analytical psychology. The German psychoanalyst Georg Groddeck shared such a background, so that a comparison is possible between his clinical view and Jung's. It is shown that natural philosophers Paracelsus, Johann von Goethe and Carl Gustav Carus had a major impact on Jung and Groddeck. Both of the latter followed Carus's theory of a creative, superindividual, and compensatory unconscious - continuing the Naturphilosophie tradition and rejecting reductionist biophysical medicine. Groddeck and Jung's holistic perspective led them to advocate natural healing, face-to-face dialectical analysis, and the uniqueness of each treatment. Thus, they were against using techniques, and instead established general methods for analytic therapy. Groddeck's thinking was closer to Jung's than to Freud's in both theory and practice. Therefore, two alternative strands should be considered within psychoanalysis: Freud's classical drive theory and Groddeck's underground two-person psychology. Thereby, Jung's analytic descendants and the relational psychoanalysts who stemmed from Groddeck's ideas could be regarded as 'cousins' due to the similarities arising from their common origin in the philosophy of nature.

La philosophie de la nature en tant que contexte pour Jung n'a pas été suffisamment prise en compte, alors qu'elle est incontournable pour comprendre les racines de la psychologie analytique. Le psychanalyste allemand Georg Groddeck partageait cet intérêt, et ainsi une comparaison est possible entre ses perspectives cliniques et celles de Jung. Il est montré que les philosophes de la nature, tels Paracelse, Johann von Goethe et Carl Gustav Carus, ont eu un impact considérable sur Jung et Groddeck. Ces deux derniers ont suivi la théorie de Carus d'un inconscient créatif, super-individuel et compensatoire, qui est dans la droite ligne de la tradition de la Naturphilosophie et rejette la médecine biophysique réductionniste. Les perspectives holistiques de Groddeck et de Jung les conduisirent à se faire les avocats de la guérison naturelle, de l'analyse dialectique en face à face et de la singularité de chaque cure. Ainsi, ils étaient opposés à l'utilisation de techniques, et au lieu de cela ils établirent plutôt des méthodes générales pour la thérapie analytique. La pensée de Groddeck était plus proche de celle de Jung que de celle de Freud, à la fois en théorie et en pratique. Ainsi, deux courants alternatifs devraient être pris en compte dans la psychanalyse: la théorie freudienne classique des pulsions et la psychologie « avant-garde ¼ à deux personnes. Ainsi, les descendants analytiques de Jung et les psychanalystes relationnels issus des idées de Groddeck pourraient être considérés comme 'cousins' du fait des similarités qui proviennent de leur origine commune dans la philosophie de la nature.

La filosofía de la naturaleza como antecedente en Jung ha sido subestimado, a pesar de su relevancia para la comprensión de las raíces de la psicología analítica. El psicoanalista alemán George Groddeck compartió dichos antecedentes, por lo cual es posible la comparación entre su perspectiva clínica y la de Jung. Se ha demostrado que los filósofos naturales Paracelso, Johan von Goethe, y Carl Gustav Carus han tenido un impacto importante en Jung y en Groddeck. Ambos han sido seguidores de la teoría de Carus de un inconsciente creativo, supraindividual y compensatorio - continuando con la tradición de la Naturphilosophie y rechazando a la medicina reduccionista y biofísica. Las perspectivas holísticas de Groddeck y Jung los condujeron a promover la sanación natural, el análisis dialéctico cara-a-cara y la singularidad de cada tratamiento. Así, ellos estaban en contra de usar técnicas, y en cambio establecieron métodos generales para la terapia analítica. El pensamiento de Groddeck fue más cercano a Jung que a Freud tanto en la teoría como en la práctica. De este modo, dos líneas de pensamiento alternativas deberían ser consideradas al interior del psicoanálisis: teoría clásica de las pulsiones de Freud, y la psicología de dos-personas de Groddeck. Por lo tanto, los descendientes analíticos de Jung y los psicoanalistas relacionales quienes surgen a partir de las ideas de Groddeck podrían ser considerados como 'primos' debido a las similitudes que emergen a partir de su origen común en la filosofía de la naturaleza.

Mapping the psyche-civilization relationship: how overcoming conceptual dualisms can help us better comprehend the trajectory of the human race.

Global living standards have increased considerably as a result of the progress brought about by human civilization. However, ecological crises, global nuclear armament and an increasing sense of psychological discontent are among a list of things that bring into question the nature of modernity. Often these large-scale collective issues seem too overwhelming for the individual to ponder in any great depth and thus the question, 'how are we, as individuals, supposed to address the problems facing broader humanity?' remains. This paper suggests that it is the underlying conceptual dualisms that prevent an answer to this question, and by mapping the interaction between psyche and civilization, the actions necessary to correct the trajectory of Western civilization may become apparent.

De manière générale les niveaux de vie ont considérablement augmenté du fait des progrès apportés par la civilisation humaine. Cependant, les crises écologiques, l'armement nucléaire au niveau mondial et un sentiment croissant d'insatisfaction psychologique sont dans la liste des choses qui remettent en question la nature de la modernité. Souvent ces questions collectives de grande ampleur semblent trop accablantes pour que l'individu s'y attache de manière sérieuse. Alors subsiste la question « comment sommes-nous supposés, en tant qu'individus, nous occuper des problèmes auxquels l'humanité au sens large est confrontée? ¼. Cet article suggère que ce sont les dualismes conceptuels sous-jacents qui nous empêchent de répondre à cette question, et qu'en modélisant l'interaction entre la psyché et la civilisation, les actions nécessaires pour corriger la trajectoire de la civilisation occidentale pourraient devenir repérables.

Los estándares globales de vida se han incrementado considerablemente como resultado del progreso producido por la civilización humana. Sin embargo, las crisis ecológicas, el armamento nuclear y una creciente sensación de descontento psicológico se encuentran entre una lista de cosas que cuestionan la naturaleza de la modernidad. A menudo, estos temas colectivos de gran escala parecen demasiado abrumadores para que el individuo pueda reflexionar en profundidad, y entonces, persiste la pregunta: '¿cómo nosotros, como individuos, debemos abordar los problemas que enfrenta la humanidad? Este trabajo sugiere que son los dualismos conceptuales subyacentes los que impiden una respuesta a esta pregunta, y que, a través de cartografiar la interacción entre psique y civilización, las acciones necesarias para corregir la trayectoria de la civilización Occidental pueden tornarse evidentes.

Sexual division and the new mythology: Goethe and Schelling.

The new mythology for which the German Romantic period called was not envisioned as antithetical to empiricism or experiential/experimental knowledge, but rather as emerging in dialogue with it to form a cultural foundation for such inquiry. Central to the mytho-scientific project were problematic theories of sexual division and generativity that established cultural baselines. This article examines the mythological investments of two influential thinkers of the period-Goethe and Schelling. It then analyzes Goethe's unique merger of mythological approaches to sex and generation with empirical observation in The Metamorphosis of Plants. It next traces Schelling's expansion of Goethe's theories of nature beyond their empirical justifications to develop a metaphysics of sexual differentiation. Finally, the article illuminates Goethe's final reply to the sexual dynamics of Naturphilosophie at the end of his life, through the analysis of a single poem, "Finding Again," in the collection God and World. Ultimately and in spite of its empirical commitments, Goethe's more flexible view of sexual correlations would lose ground to the powerful metaphysical mythology of sexual opposition as both scientific and cultural bedrock.

Georg Büchner: Anatomist of the animal brain and the human mind.

The writer Georg Büchner (1813-1837) is considered one of the giants of German literature. Comparatively less well known, however, is the fact that Büchner was also a gifted neuroanatomist who completed his medical studies with a dissertation on the nervous system of the barbel (a freshwater fish with a high incidence in the River Rhine) and gave a lecture on cranial nerves shortly afterward, hoping to secure a position at the University of Zurich. In the copious secondary literature on Büchner, it has often been discussed whether and how his poetic and scientific writings were interrelated. In this article, I compare Büchner's anatomical and literary views of the brain and argue that two distinct perspectives on the organ were developed here. In the literary works, human behavior was linked to the brain in a manner that betrays the influence of Franz Joseph Gall's organology. In the anatomical writing, the brain appeared as an exemplar of natural harmony and beauty. In the one case, the brain appeared as an aristocrat, in the other as a pariah. I take this stark contrast to mean that Büchner understood the brain as an epistemically slippery, contradictory object that could only be approached from different angles.

Franz Joseph Gall came to Copenhagen, and for a brief moment the brain was the talk of the town.

When the inventor of phrenology, Franz Joseph Gall, came to Denmark in the fall of 1805, he was met with great enthusiasm and fascination among the general public, as well as within the scientific community. His visit was an event that was covered by the newspapers unlike any other scientific lecture. However, as soon as Gall left, public interest in phrenology almost instantaneously vanished. Different theories have been put forth in the attempt to answer the question as to why phrenology never found a audience in Denmark. The Danish phrenologist Carl Otto explained it by referring to the poor quality of the Danish phrenological publications. Danish historians have argued that phrenology was too incompatible with the dominant scientific paradigm, Natürphilosophie. This article argues that the newspaper coverage of phrenology was more about sensational news stories than about science, and ultimately phrenology was a fad that wore off when the newspapers shifted their focus to other news.

Plants Neither Possess nor Require Consciousness.

In claiming that plants have consciousness, 'plant neurobiologists' have consistently glossed over the remarkable degree of structural and functional complexity that the brain had to evolve for consciousness to emerge. Here, we outline a new hypothesis proposed by Feinberg and Mallat for the evolution of consciousness in animals. Based on a survey of the brain anatomy, functional complexity, and behaviors of a broad spectrum of animals, criteria were established for the emergence of consciousness. The only animals that satisfied these criteria were the vertebrates (including fish), arthropods (e.g., insects, crabs), and cephalopods (e.g., octopuses, squids). In light of Feinberg and Mallat's analysis, we consider the likelihood that plants, with their relative organizational simplicity and lack of neurons and brains, have consciousness to be effectively nil.

A influência da Naturphilosophie nas ciências do século XIX: eletromagnetismo e energia / The influence of Naturphilosophie in nineteenth-century science: electromagnetism and energy

Resumo Os fenômenos envolvendo eletromagnetismo e conservação da energia durante o século XIX não se enquadravam no paradigma newtoniano vigente. Havia entre os estudiosos a necessidade de explicar tais fatos considerando-se "algo mais", não expresso até então. É nessa explicação que a Naturphilosophie, programa filosófico associado ao movimento romântico alemão do século XIX, parece oferecer novos caminhos para entender as ciências. Neste artigo, trazemos os principais aspectos da obra de Schelling, principal expoente da Naturphilosophie, e como seus pressupostos foram inseridos nas ciências físicas para explicar o eletromagnetismo e a conservação da energia.

Abstract Phenomena involving electromagnetism and conservation of energy during the nineteenth century did not fit the reigning Newtonian paradigm. Among scholars, there was the need to explain such facts considering "something more" that had not yet been expressed. Through this explanation, Naturphilosophie, the philosophical branch associated with the German romantic movement of the nineteenth century, seems to offer new ways of understanding the sciences. In this article, we present main aspects of the work of Schelling, the main exponent of Naturphilosophie, and how his assumptions were inserted into the physical sciences to explain electromagnetism and conservation of energy.