Synopses & Reviews
The volume explores the significance of Halle's 'sensitive physicians' (inspired by the writings of Stahl, Kr ger, Unzer, E.A. Nicolai, Bolten, and others) for the 'anthropological turn' that took place around 1750. In so doing it sets out in quest of pre-anthropological anthropology (see Platner and the late-Enlightenment 'philosophical physicians' for an analogy). Of central concern are (1) the roots of anthropology and aesthetics (Baumgarten, Meier, etc.) in the context of Stahlianism, pietism, Thomasianism, Wolffianism, (2) the predating of the origins of anthropology from late to early Enlightenment thinking, (3) the common roots of anthropology and aesthetics in a shared anti-Cartesian bid to supplement traditional logic with a 'logic of sensitive knowledge' (aesthetics) and a holistic image of the human animal encompassing body, mind, and spirit (anthropology). The articles break new ground by examining areas of modernism that have been successfully elbowed aside by Cartesian scientism and have thus been largely neglected in the historiography of science. Awareness of the anti-Cartesian currents in aesthetics and anthropology in and around 1750 also points up clear parallels between the 'sensitive physicians' and important tendencies in present-day thinking on psychosomatics and holistic therapy. It also points the way to a 'logic of the individual'.
Synopsis
When the University of Halle-Wittenberg founded the Interdisciplinary Centre for Research into the European Enlightenment in 1993, it was following the destiny of its history as a centre of the Early Enlightenment in Germany which affected the whole of Europe and as one of the moving forces behind the Anthropological Turn. Research foci of the Centre have been and are Enlightenment anthropology, Enlightenment in the reference field of early modem esotericism, university history, philanthropism and the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Worlitz; more recent emphasis has been on the Early Enlightenment as a field of experimentation and the foundation of cultural models for the Modern Age.
The results of this research have been published since Autumn 1995 in the Centres' research publications series entitled University of Halle Series on the European Enlightenment. In addition, there have been relevant works produced outside the Centre. Two to four volumes are published annually (monographs, collected volumes, commentaries on sources).
Synopsis
Der Band konturiert die Bedeutung der 'vernunftigen Arzte' in Halle um Stahl, Kruger, Unzer, E.A. Nicolai, Bolten u.a. fur die anthropologische Wende um 1750. Gezielt wird damit auf die Anthropologie vor der Anthropologie (i.S. Platners und der spataufklarerischen 'philosophischen Arzte'). Im Zentrum stehen 1.) die Entstehungsbedingungen von Anthropologie und Asthetik (Baumgarten, Meier u.a.) im Kontext von Stahlianismus, Pietismus, Thomasianismus und Wolffianismus, 2.) die Vordatierung der Ursprunge der Anthropologie im deutschsprachigen Raum von der Spat- in die Fruhaufklarung, 3.) die Gleichursprunglichkeit von Anthropologie und Asthetik auf Grund eines vergleichbaren, antikartesianischen Impulses, d.h. die Supplementierung der herkommlichen Logik um eine 'Logik der sensitiven Erkenntnis' (d.i. Asthetik) und ein ganzheitliches, Leib und Seele umfassendes Menschenbild (d.i. Anthropologie). Die Beitrage leisten einen Beitrag zur Erforschung jener disziplinaren Bereiche der Moderne, die vom Kartesianischen Wissenschaftsdispositiv verdrangt worden und in der Wissenschaftsgeschichtsschreibung unthematisch geblieben sind. Der antikartesianische Impuls von Asthetik und Anthropologie um 1750 macht die 'vernunftigen Arzte' anschlufahig an heutige Uberlegungen zu Psychosomatik und ganzheitlichen Therapieansatzen und bildet die Brucke zu einer 'Logik des Individuellen'.