Keeping the door open: romantic science and the experience of self
The thesis positions three modem thinkers working in different areas of the human sciences - William James, Ludwig Binswanger and Oliver Sacks - within a framework of romantic science. Romantic science is a term which is developed explicitly in the work of Sacks and also illuminates the central conc...
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| Format: | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
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1996
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11717/ |
| _version_ | 1848791342636859392 |
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| author | Halliwell, Martin |
| author_facet | Halliwell, Martin |
| author_sort | Halliwell, Martin |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The thesis positions three modem thinkers working in different areas of the human sciences - William James, Ludwig Binswanger and Oliver Sacks - within a framework of romantic science. Romantic science is a term which is developed explicitly in the work of Sacks and also illuminates the central concerns of James and Binswanger. As such, romantic science provides a useful framework in which to discuss conceptual changes in the medical humanities (a branch of the human sciences directed to patient care) since the late nineteenth century.
The introduction explores romantic science, firstly, as a modem tradition of research and inquiry in the human and natural sciences, beginning with the ferment of intellectual activity in late eighteenth-century Germany, and, secondly, as a genre of writing, which fuses discontinuous discourses in an attempt to compensate for the inadequacies of more conventional modes of scientific understanding.
My central theoretical interest is to trace significant shifts in the terminology of 'the self' in modem manifestations of romantic science. Each of the three thinkers considered in the thesis is both theorist and practitioner (Binswanger was and Sacks is a professional physician and James consulted with private patients), which makes for a peculiar blend of theory directed towards practical ends. Theoretical issues of the self implicate a range of intersubjective problems concerning therapeutic practice. As such, the thesis is also concerned centrally with theories of reading which help to activate the self. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:26:59Z |
| format | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-11717 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:26:59Z |
| publishDate | 1996 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-117172025-02-28T11:15:12Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11717/ Keeping the door open: romantic science and the experience of self Halliwell, Martin The thesis positions three modem thinkers working in different areas of the human sciences - William James, Ludwig Binswanger and Oliver Sacks - within a framework of romantic science. Romantic science is a term which is developed explicitly in the work of Sacks and also illuminates the central concerns of James and Binswanger. As such, romantic science provides a useful framework in which to discuss conceptual changes in the medical humanities (a branch of the human sciences directed to patient care) since the late nineteenth century. The introduction explores romantic science, firstly, as a modem tradition of research and inquiry in the human and natural sciences, beginning with the ferment of intellectual activity in late eighteenth-century Germany, and, secondly, as a genre of writing, which fuses discontinuous discourses in an attempt to compensate for the inadequacies of more conventional modes of scientific understanding. My central theoretical interest is to trace significant shifts in the terminology of 'the self' in modem manifestations of romantic science. Each of the three thinkers considered in the thesis is both theorist and practitioner (Binswanger was and Sacks is a professional physician and James consulted with private patients), which makes for a peculiar blend of theory directed towards practical ends. Theoretical issues of the self implicate a range of intersubjective problems concerning therapeutic practice. As such, the thesis is also concerned centrally with theories of reading which help to activate the self. 1996 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en arr https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11717/1/307712.pdf Halliwell, Martin (1996) Keeping the door open: romantic science and the experience of self. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. Medical humanities William James Oliver Sacks Ludwig Binswanger literature mass media performing arts psychology religion philosophy |
| spellingShingle | Medical humanities William James Oliver Sacks Ludwig Binswanger literature mass media performing arts psychology religion philosophy Halliwell, Martin Keeping the door open: romantic science and the experience of self |
| title | Keeping the door open: romantic science and the experience of self |
| title_full | Keeping the door open: romantic science and the experience of self |
| title_fullStr | Keeping the door open: romantic science and the experience of self |
| title_full_unstemmed | Keeping the door open: romantic science and the experience of self |
| title_short | Keeping the door open: romantic science and the experience of self |
| title_sort | keeping the door open: romantic science and the experience of self |
| topic | Medical humanities William James Oliver Sacks Ludwig Binswanger literature mass media performing arts psychology religion philosophy |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11717/ |