Following a recent trend in the eld of the history of philosophy and medicine, this paper stresse... more Following a recent trend in the eld of the history of philosophy and medicine, this paper stresses the necessity of recognizing empiricism's patent indebtedness to the sciences of the body. While the tribute paid to the Hippocratic method of observation in the work of Thomas Sydenham is well known, it seems necessary to take into account a trend more critical of ancient medicine developed by followers of chemical medicine who considered the doctrine of elements and humours to be a typical example of the idols that hinder the improvement of medical knowledge and defend the necessity of experimentation (comparative anatomy, dissection, autopsy, chemical analysis of bodies). In light of the fact that modern discoveries (blood circulation, the lymphatic system, theory of fevers) resulted in a "new frame of human nature," they developed a critical reading of ancient empiricism. As a consequence, we can distinguish between two distinct anti-speculative traditions in the genesis of philosophical empiricism. The rst (which includes Bacon, Boyle and Willis) recommends an active investigation into nature and refers to the gure of Democritus, the ancient philosopher who devoted himself to the dissection of beasts. Defenders of this rst tradition refuse point-blank to be called 'empiricists' , a label which had a very negative meaning during the seventeenth century, when it was used to dismiss charlatans and quacks. The other tradition (including Sydenham and Locke), stressing as it does the role of description and observation, is more sceptical of the ability of dissection or anatomy to give us access to causes of diseases. This later tradition comes closer to the de nition of ancient empiricism and to the gure of Hippocrates. ). I would like to thank Thomas Swan for his reading and corrections of the English version of this text and Philippe Hamou for his critical observations on this paper.
This article argues that in order to understand the motto of Cambridge platonists, "be sober and ... more This article argues that in order to understand the motto of Cambridge platonists, "be sober and reasoable", it is necessary to replace it in the context of dietetic literature and medicine. The therapeutic power attributed to reason (in cure of religious fanatism, for example) originates in a discourse about the body, its health and its diseases. The article puts into light the close link between the philosophical reflection on the power or weakness of reason and the normative discourse of the physicians who preach moderation and warns intellectuals against an excess of abstruse and too profound use of reason. In this context, the reason appears as a double faculty, that is first as a therapeutic power and secondly as a source of phatological disorders.
resumo Este artigo mostra que, para compreender a palavra de ordem dos platônicos de Cambridge ("... more resumo Este artigo mostra que, para compreender a palavra de ordem dos platônicos de Cambridge ("ser sóbrio e racional"), convém recolocá-la no contexto da medicina e da literatura dietéticas. O poder terapêutico conferido à razão (na cura do fanatismo religioso, por exemplo) encontra sua origem em um discurso sobre o corpo, sua saúde e suas doenças. Desde o surgimento, em 1634, da tradução inglesa do Trattato de la vita sobria de Luigi Cornaro até A doença inglesa (1733) de George Cheyne, é estreita a ligação entre a reflexão filosófica sobre a força ou a impotência da razão e o discurso normativo dos médicos que pregam a moderação e alertam os homens de letras contra os excessos de uma reflexão exagerada ou muito profunda. Nesse contexto, a razão aparece como uma faculdade de dupla face, ao mesmo tempo, poder terapêutico e fonte de desordens patológicas.
The aim of this paper is to show the ambivalence of the idea of melancholy in seventeenth-century... more The aim of this paper is to show the ambivalence of the idea of melancholy in seventeenth-century England from the specific perspective of the melancholic gaze. If the perturbation of the senses and of visual perception may be seen by physicians as a pathological condition, this can also lead the melancholic to develop visionary powers, which can be understood as
By proposing in 1621 to create the completely separate category of religious melancholy, Burton i... more By proposing in 1621 to create the completely separate category of religious melancholy, Burton inaugurated the medicalisation of religious controversy which developed considerably after the English Civil Wars. While religious melancholy was a useful critical and polemical weapon for all the defenders of Anglican orthodoxy trying to present fanatics (enthusiasts) and atheists as sick people suffering from a humoural imbalance, it finally came in the early 18th century to designate a certain way of practising religion or alternatively the behaviour of those who devoted their lives to religion. The present article examines this transition from a medical interpretation of nonconformist religious behaviour to the identification of a pathological practice of religion.
The discovery of the principle of blood circulation by William Harvey is generally considered as ... more The discovery of the principle of blood circulation by William Harvey is generally considered as one of the major events of the "scientific revolution" of the 17th century. This paper reconsiders the question by taking in account the way Harvey's discovery was discussed by some contemporary philosophers and physicians, in particular Fontenelle, who insisted on the necessity of redefining methods and principles of medical knowledge, basing themselves on the revival of anatomy and physiology, and of its consequences on the way it permits to think about the human nature. This return allows us to consider the opportunity of substituting the kuhnian scheme of "structure of scientific revolutions" for the bachelardian concept of "refonte".
Following a recent trend in the eld of the history of philosophy and medicine, this paper stresse... more Following a recent trend in the eld of the history of philosophy and medicine, this paper stresses the necessity of recognizing empiricism's patent indebtedness to the sciences of the body. While the tribute paid to the Hippocratic method of observation in the work of Thomas Sydenham is well known, it seems necessary to take into account a trend more critical of ancient medicine developed by followers of chemical medicine who considered the doctrine of elements and humours to be a typical example of the idols that hinder the improvement of medical knowledge and defend the necessity of experimentation (comparative anatomy, dissection, autopsy, chemical analysis of bodies). In light of the fact that modern discoveries (blood circulation, the lymphatic system, theory of fevers) resulted in a "new frame of human nature," they developed a critical reading of ancient empiricism. As a consequence, we can distinguish between two distinct anti-speculative traditions in the genesis of philosophical empiricism. The rst (which includes Bacon, Boyle and Willis) recommends an active investigation into nature and refers to the gure of Democritus, the ancient philosopher who devoted himself to the dissection of beasts. Defenders of this rst tradition refuse point-blank to be called 'empiricists' , a label which had a very negative meaning during the seventeenth century, when it was used to dismiss charlatans and quacks. The other tradition (including Sydenham and Locke), stressing as it does the role of description and observation, is more sceptical of the ability of dissection or anatomy to give us access to causes of diseases. This later tradition comes closer to the de nition of ancient empiricism and to the gure of Hippocrates. ). I would like to thank Thomas Swan for his reading and corrections of the English version of this text and Philippe Hamou for his critical observations on this paper.
This article argues that in order to understand the motto of Cambridge platonists, "be sober and ... more This article argues that in order to understand the motto of Cambridge platonists, "be sober and reasoable", it is necessary to replace it in the context of dietetic literature and medicine. The therapeutic power attributed to reason (in cure of religious fanatism, for example) originates in a discourse about the body, its health and its diseases. The article puts into light the close link between the philosophical reflection on the power or weakness of reason and the normative discourse of the physicians who preach moderation and warns intellectuals against an excess of abstruse and too profound use of reason. In this context, the reason appears as a double faculty, that is first as a therapeutic power and secondly as a source of phatological disorders.
resumo Este artigo mostra que, para compreender a palavra de ordem dos platônicos de Cambridge ("... more resumo Este artigo mostra que, para compreender a palavra de ordem dos platônicos de Cambridge ("ser sóbrio e racional"), convém recolocá-la no contexto da medicina e da literatura dietéticas. O poder terapêutico conferido à razão (na cura do fanatismo religioso, por exemplo) encontra sua origem em um discurso sobre o corpo, sua saúde e suas doenças. Desde o surgimento, em 1634, da tradução inglesa do Trattato de la vita sobria de Luigi Cornaro até A doença inglesa (1733) de George Cheyne, é estreita a ligação entre a reflexão filosófica sobre a força ou a impotência da razão e o discurso normativo dos médicos que pregam a moderação e alertam os homens de letras contra os excessos de uma reflexão exagerada ou muito profunda. Nesse contexto, a razão aparece como uma faculdade de dupla face, ao mesmo tempo, poder terapêutico e fonte de desordens patológicas.
The aim of this paper is to show the ambivalence of the idea of melancholy in seventeenth-century... more The aim of this paper is to show the ambivalence of the idea of melancholy in seventeenth-century England from the specific perspective of the melancholic gaze. If the perturbation of the senses and of visual perception may be seen by physicians as a pathological condition, this can also lead the melancholic to develop visionary powers, which can be understood as
By proposing in 1621 to create the completely separate category of religious melancholy, Burton i... more By proposing in 1621 to create the completely separate category of religious melancholy, Burton inaugurated the medicalisation of religious controversy which developed considerably after the English Civil Wars. While religious melancholy was a useful critical and polemical weapon for all the defenders of Anglican orthodoxy trying to present fanatics (enthusiasts) and atheists as sick people suffering from a humoural imbalance, it finally came in the early 18th century to designate a certain way of practising religion or alternatively the behaviour of those who devoted their lives to religion. The present article examines this transition from a medical interpretation of nonconformist religious behaviour to the identification of a pathological practice of religion.
The discovery of the principle of blood circulation by William Harvey is generally considered as ... more The discovery of the principle of blood circulation by William Harvey is generally considered as one of the major events of the "scientific revolution" of the 17th century. This paper reconsiders the question by taking in account the way Harvey's discovery was discussed by some contemporary philosophers and physicians, in particular Fontenelle, who insisted on the necessity of redefining methods and principles of medical knowledge, basing themselves on the revival of anatomy and physiology, and of its consequences on the way it permits to think about the human nature. This return allows us to consider the opportunity of substituting the kuhnian scheme of "structure of scientific revolutions" for the bachelardian concept of "refonte".
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