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Sexual division and the new mythology: Goethe and Schelling.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Engelstein, S
Published in: History and philosophy of the life sciences
August 2020

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.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

History and philosophy of the life sciences

DOI

EISSN

1742-6316

ISSN

0391-9714

Publication Date

August 2020

Volume

42

Issue

3

Start / End Page

39

Related Subject Headings

  • Sexual Behavior
  • Sex
  • Science Studies
  • Mythology
  • History, 19th Century
  • History, 18th Century
  • Germany
  • Empiricism
  • 5003 Philosophy
  • 5002 History and philosophy of specific fields
 

Citation

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Engelstein, S. (2020). Sexual division and the new mythology: Goethe and Schelling. History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 42(3), 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40656-020-00331-0
Engelstein, Stefani. “Sexual division and the new mythology: Goethe and Schelling.History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 42, no. 3 (August 2020): 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40656-020-00331-0.
Engelstein S. Sexual division and the new mythology: Goethe and Schelling. History and philosophy of the life sciences. 2020 Aug;42(3):39.
Engelstein, Stefani. “Sexual division and the new mythology: Goethe and Schelling.History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, vol. 42, no. 3, Aug. 2020, p. 39. Epmc, doi:10.1007/s40656-020-00331-0.
Engelstein S. Sexual division and the new mythology: Goethe and Schelling. History and philosophy of the life sciences. 2020 Aug;42(3):39.
Journal cover image

Published In

History and philosophy of the life sciences

DOI

EISSN

1742-6316

ISSN

0391-9714

Publication Date

August 2020

Volume

42

Issue

3

Start / End Page

39

Related Subject Headings

  • Sexual Behavior
  • Sex
  • Science Studies
  • Mythology
  • History, 19th Century
  • History, 18th Century
  • Germany
  • Empiricism
  • 5003 Philosophy
  • 5002 History and philosophy of specific fields