The importance of German Naturphilosophie for the development of a unified view of nature is often emphasized. The search for ultimate unity of natural phenomena, however, was already too common among physicists of the waning 18th century to ascribe its popularity to the influence of philosophers. To avoid the plethora of imponderable fluids, many „atomists”︁ reduced electric, magnetic, thermal, and chemical phenomena to a dualism of contrary principles, thereby prefiguring the „dynamic”︁ ideas of romantic Naturphilosophen.In particular we show how Schelling's (...) early account of his Naturphilosophie was shaped by J. A. Deluc's atomistic theory of gases and vapours. (shrink)

In early 19th‐century German medicine many doctors had a strong interest in historical pathology. They investigated the historical records of fevers and epidemics in detail, trying to find out how the changing influence of the epidemic constitution worked and hoping that history would help them to define specific disease entities. The underlying theory of this endeavour was that diseases undergo a historical development similar to the evolution of plants and animals. This paper tries to show that historical pathology was, in (...) its time, a legitimate attempt to solve the most urgent problems of empirical medicine. (shrink)

This article deals with six aspects of analogical thinking in mathematics: 1. Platonism and continuity principle or the “geometric voices of analogy” (as Kepler put it), 2. analogies and the surpassing of limits, 3. analogies and rule stretching, 4. analogies and concept stretching, 5. language and the art of inventing, 6. translation, or constructions instead of discovery. It takes especially into account the works of Kepler, Wallis, Leibniz, Euler, and Laplace who all underlined the importance of analogy in finding out (...) new mathematical truth. But the meaning of analogy varies with the different authors. Isomorphic structures are interpreted as an outcome of analogical thinking. (shrink)

Two developments have been of crucial significance to create the today's relation of theoretical (scientific) jurisprudence and the practical pursuit of law:1. The process of forming a jurisprudence basing on scientific methods around 1800. This process is particularly based on the following epistemological changes:(a) The late 18th century gave birth to the idea of a system of science as an unchangeable context of science in abstracto. Therefore the practical application of parts of this system appeared no longer as an independent (...) science. (b) Besides the late 18th century gave birth to the distinction between scientific ability (reason/“Verstand”) and practical ability (judgement/“Urteilskraft”). (c) Finally the late 18th century established criteria of a scientific method — necessity, reasoning, systematics —, which the practical application could not satisfy. Jurisprudence (now: legal science/“Rechtswissenschaft”) absorbed these epistemological changes in the late 18th century and regarded itself as a science. Therefore the legal science dismissed the “applied jurisprudence” that is to say the practical pursuit of law (that had been recognized as a part of legal scholarship in former times). 2. The change in the relation of academic and practical education of lawyers around and after 1800: The practical education was dislodged from the universities and found its place in the practical judicial training after the first state examination (“Referendarzeit”). This “two‐step‐education” was established first in Prussia and since 1879 everywhere in Germany. (shrink)

Physics textbooks from ca 1800 are on the one hand self reflective texts that consider the then emerging discipline ‚physics’︁, and serve on the other hand as the bread and butter for the day to day work of teachers and students of physics. The two parts of this paper explore this twofold nature. First, those textbooks written and used by professors in Jena, Halle and Göttingen are used in order to identify a typical textbook. This relies on a close examination (...) of the respective introductory chapter and the one on electricity. The result is used in the second part to provide the background for the reconstruction of the use of physics textbooks in Jena. It is shown when and, as far as possible, why each particular textbook was chosen, withdrawn, neglected, changed or written in the course of physics teaching from 1780 to 1820. Some conclusions are drawn with regard to Jena's position in physics at that time. (shrink)

Como resultado de búsqueda y recuperación de información registrada en documentos de archivos, libros, revistas y otras fuentes, se confeccionó una obra de referencia, donde se registran pequeñas biografías de 19 camagüeyanos que se desempeñaron como médicos cirujanos, médicos y cirujanos romancistas en los siglos XVIII y XIX. Se dan a conocer los antecedentes que sirvieron de motivación a la realización del estudio y se explica el radio de acción, en el aspecto asistencial, de los que ostentaban estas categorías (...) profesionales. Los datos obtenidos a partir de las fuentes consultadas, fueron el punto de partida para la confección de un material que informa el quehacer de los profesionales de la salud de la región camagüeyana en esa época y que se espera sea de interés y utilidad a los interesados en el tema As a result of the search and collection of information registered in documents, books, magazines and other sources, a reference paper that presents the biographies of 19 Camagüeyan medical surgeons, doctors and surgeons that lived in the XVIII and XIX centuries was made. The antecedents that served as motivation to the realization of the study are made known and the action radius is explained, taking into account their role in medical assistance. This comprises all those that had the above-mentioned professional categories. The data obtained from the sources consulted, constituted the starting point for the making of a material that informs about Camagüeyan health professionals of that time. It is also expected that this scientific paper is of interest and utility for those interested in this topic. (shrink)

W artykule zrekonstruowano i przeanalizowano wczesną fazę sporów o nihilizm. Podstawowym zagadnieniem jest w nim więź między rozwojem nihilizmu a wieloma odmianami niemieckiego idealizmu na przełomie XVIII i XIX wieku. Pierwszą część poświęcono badaniom nad pochodzeniem pojęcia nihilizmu. Część druga dotyczy recepcji filozofii Immanuela Kanta i zwróconych przeciwko niej zarzutów nihilizmu. W trzeciej części autor podejmuje zagadnienie sporu o panteizm. Głównym inspiratorem toczących się wówczas dysput filozoficznych był przede wszystkim F. H. Jacobi. Wszelkim odmianom idealizmu i racjonalizmu usiłował on (...) przeciwstawić własną filozofię wiary. W historyczno-filozoficznych dociekaniach podjęto zagadnienie recepcji filozofii B. Spinozy w tradycji niemieckiego oświecenia. Panteizm Spinozy był ważnym źródłem sporów o ateizm i nihilizm. (shrink)

El artículo explora el devenir de la melancolía en los siglos XVIII y XIX, intentando establecer las relaciones históricas, filosóficas, literarias y, en menor medida, médicas, que permitieron asociarla con una característica notable de la sensibilidad en que se reconocía a ciertos hombres “privilegiados”. Igualmente, el artículo intenta mostrar los nuevos campos semánticos que la palabra “melancolía” conquistó a partir del siglo XVIII, mostrando cómo se la asoció con adjetivos como “dulce” y “tierna”, y cómo terminó por convertirse (...) en la manifestación de la sensibilidad. (shrink)

A exposição ou enjeitamento de crianças foi fenômeno importado do velho mundo e amplamente aceito e praticado em território ibero-americano. A historiografia avançou sobre o tema nos últimos anos, entretanto, algumas lacunas ainda permanecem para desafio dos historiadores interessados no assunto. Uma dessas questões é detectar as singularidades regionais desse fenômeno tão recorrente ao território luso-brasileiro. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste artigo é comparar o perfil da exposição de crianças e a assistência aos enjeitados em dois extremos da América portuguesa: (...) a freguesia de Porto Alegre em devoção a Nossa Senhora Madre de Deus no Rio Grande do Sul, e a freguesia da Cidade do Natal em devoção a Nossa Senhora da Apresentação no Rio Grande do Norte. A partir de fontes seriais, como os registros de batismo e os termos de vereação das respectivas localidades, elencamos os seguintes procedimentos para análise – leitura, transcrição e fichamentos qualitativos e quantitativos, seguidos da comparação de aspectos demográficos que podem nos trazer realidades adversas. Sendo assim, esse esforço de pesquisa resultou na identificação de baixos índices de exposição, elevadas taxas de filhos ilegítimos e formas distintas de assistência aos recém-nascidos enjeitados estritamente ligados aos seus contextos locais. (shrink)

The Koran being the “Great Code” of Islamic culture and civilization, the Koranic disciplines (‘ulūm al-Qur'ān) and Koranic hermeneutics are considered in the Islamic representation among the most important fields of knowledge. We shall deal here with the spectrum of “classical” Koranic exegesis from the II./viii. to the XII./xix. century according to a chronological point of view. After an introduction on exegesis and Koranic disciplines (A), we shall examine the principal stages and elements of the Koranic exegesis from the II./viii. (...) to the beginning of the IV./x. century (B); then the question of continuity and change of this exegesis from the second half of the IV./x. to the XII./xix. century CE (C). At the end we shall deal with some peculiarities of this discipline (D). The question of the formative period per se and that of mystical exegesis have been dealt with by us more lengthy elsewhere. (shrink)

The diffusion of Kantian philosophy in the Russian culture was a singularly early event: even the Orthodox ecclesiastical Academies were involved in this process, despite the control exercised by the censorship in defense of the metaphysical and theological tradition. The history and sources of the "philosophy of ecclesiastical academies" are also examined through the analysis of the works of two authors (I.Ja. Vetrinskij and P.D. Jurkevic), who, with their reaction to the Kantian "revolution", attested to the deep awareness of the (...) necessity of a real confrontation with criticism. This investigation is completed by an appendix dedicated to the complex events of Kantian studies in the Russian language during the decades marked by the Soviet regime. (shrink)

Il presente articolo si propone di seguire il percorso della tradizione dell’Epistola ai Pisoni di Orazio in Europa e in Italia tra Sette e Ottocento, con particolare attenzione al contesto storico-culturale di riferimento e agli specifici ambienti di ricezione. Il tema è certo ampio e necessiterebbe di una trattazione più distesa e articolata di quella che questa sede può offrire: la prospettiva sarà, dunque, limitata ad alcune specifiche considerazioni sull’argomento. Il lavoro si sofferma primariamente sui diversi meccanismi di traduzione e (...) ripresa che interessano l’opera oraziana tutta. Tra questi si rintracciano molteplici filoni: a partire dalla ricerca biografica, passando attraverso la vivace sfera dell’imitazione e della parodia, per approdare alle rielaborazioni musicale e pittorica. L’analisi giunge così a concentrarsi in particolare sull’Ars poetica, della quale si seguono le fila della diffusione e si ripercorrono gli episodi della fortuna in Italia, dove la ricezione dell’opera si lega alla questione linguistica ai tempi estremamente attuale. Sensibili all’influsso oraziano si rivelano tanto grandi nomi del panorama culturale italiano, quanto intere correnti letterarie, come l’Arcadia, oltre a docenti – sempre più interessati a una corretta lettura dell’opera da parte dei propri studenti – nonché semplici amatori. Funge, infine, da addentellato di uno studio che sarebbe, altrimenti, meramente descrittivo, un’ipotesi in merito a un possibile legame tra gli ambienti di diffusione dell’Ars poetica tipici di ciascuno dei due secoli. Dall’analisi condotta sui dati disponibili si evidenzia, infatti, una continuità di interessi tra arcadici e docenti riconducibile a una “discendenza educativa” di questi ultimi dai primi. (shrink)

This essay takes into account the pedagogical reform for the poor proposed in England by Andrew Bell, Joseph Lancaster and Patrick Colquhoun between Eighteenth and Nineteenth century. Differentiating individuals and reproducing social order through the implementation of a pedagogical plan is a response both to the excessive expectations of well-being raised among the English poor by the Revolution in France, and to the uncontrolled spread of crime and undisciplined behaviours in the new manufacturing districts. This is why social reformers looked (...) at the pedagogical reform of mutual instruction as a way to build the conditions of reproduction of social differences: the plans proposed by Bell and Lancaster, based on emulation, competition and merit, are supported by Colquhoun because they offer a possible solution for the problems of crime and immoral behaviour. «The order of Merit», triggered by emulation, distinction and reward, thus become the main tool of influencing poor’s expectations so to predict and discipline their conduct as future waged workers. (shrink)

Este trabajo analiza unos treinta documentos testamentarios de la familia de la Puerta de Osuna, que nos revelan que la salvación del alma era una de las grandes preocupaciones humanas en los siglos pasados. Además de la mentalidad de la época ante la llegada del momento trascendental de la muerte, se obtienen multitud de datos sobre las costumbres funerarias, el coste de los entierros y misas, las obras sociales y de caridad a la que los difuntos destinaban parte de sus (...) bienes, así como una gran cantidad de referencias de la vida religiosa de la Villa Ducal, de sus conventos y monasterios. Más importantes aún si cabe son las conclusiones que nos aportan los justificantes de los recibís firmados por los ejecutores de las diversas obras funerarias ante los albaceas testamentarios designados para tal efecto, ya que, debido al temor que siempre se ha tenido ante la muerte, las ocurrencias y curiosidades que se desvelan en dicho momento tan circunstancial nos pueden llegar a sorprender. (shrink)

La parroquia constituía un componente clave de la identidad en los siglos XVIII y XIX, ya que constituía la unidad de residencia principal y se fraguó como el principal marco de sociabilidad. El estudio de los conflictos por los cambios en las parroquias revela una cosmovisión identitaria densa y estable. De tal forma que pertenecer a un aparroquia no estaba condicionado exclusivamente por factores residenciales y devocionales, sino que la población se basó en múltiples elementos para argumentar y defender (...) el territorio parroquial propio, tales como factores económicos o patrimoniales. (shrink)

At the present stage of scientific research, materials that allow as much as possible to consider as much as possible the gathering of ethnic Ukrainian lands in one state and the restoration of the dominant position of Orthodoxy within the ROC within these territories are quite relevant. It is from these positions that the specified period for the territory of Right-Bank Ukraine can be distinguished as a special stage of religious transformation.