Sexual division and the new mythology: Goethe and Schelling.
Hist Philos Life Sci
; 42(3): 39, 2020 Aug 27.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32852629
ABSTRACT
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.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Sexo
/
Comportamento Sexual
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Empirismo
/
Mitologia
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Hist Philos Life Sci
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos
País de publicação:
CH
/
SUIZA
/
SUÍÇA
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SWITZERLAND