This dissertation offers a re-evaluation of the role of the imagination in Jean- Jacques Rousseau’s 'Emile: or On Education' (1762) and Christoph Martin Wieland’s 'Geschichte des Agathon' (1794). My central claim is that both novels develop a pedagogy of the imagination in order to overcome the dilemmas of Cartesian dualism, that is, to form a beautiful soul in whom sensuality and reason, the body and the spirit, coexist in harmony. I demonstrate that both texts highlight the important but potentially damaging role played by the imagination in the development of religious thought, moral sentiments, and sexuality. The texts suggest that while a malformed imagination results in materialism, egotism, libertinism, and despotism, a well-formed imagination provides the foundation for natural religion, cosmopolitan enthusiasm, sentimental love, and a just political constitution. Consequently, I argue that for Rousseau and Wieland, harnessing the power of the imagination becomes the key to reconciling human nature and civil society. In addition to elucidating the role of the imagination in 'Emile' and 'Agathon', this dissertation also contributes to an understanding of the intellectual affinities between Rousseau and Wieland more generally. In preparation for the comparative reading of 'Emile' and 'Agathon', I survey Wieland’s private and public responses to Rousseau and contend that although the two authors differ significantly in their narrative and philosophical approach, they nevertheless share similar moral and political ideals. Both authors acknowledge the ability of the imagination to drive a wedge between the individual’s natural inclinations and moral duties, causing fragmentation of the self and society in turn. Yet the imagination, the motor of cultural progress, is not only the source of man’s alienation, it is also the remedy for his dividedness. If properly harnessed, the imagination can cease to be the cause of human depravity and become the basis of peaceful human relations, both at the level of the individual and that of society as a whole. In conclusion, I propose that the role of the imagination in forming the beautiful soul has consequences for the collective, and that we can read the moral constitutions of Emile and Agathon as negotiating the possibilities of various political constitutions, including that of a democratic state. / Thesis (Ph.D, German) -- Queen's University, 2012-10-15 17:47:42.944

Uppsatsen behandlar gudserfarenhet och språkbruk hos Jean-Jacques Rousseau och dess likheter med pietismen. Både Rousseau och pietismen betonade människans känslor framför förnuftet, i en för övrigt förnuftsorienterad tid. De menade att människans känslor måste tillåtas komma till uttryck i trosfrågor och när de talar om hur människan erfar Gud och det gudomliga använder de liknande ord och begrepp. Studiens syfte är således att studera dessa likheter, med fokus på Rousseaus språkbruk och bildvärld.

Rousseau notoriously praises ignorance and censures learning for the moral corruption that it has inflicted upon his age, yet he admits that the arts and the sciences are good in themselves. I consider the effects of learning and knowledge on moral education, in an effort to answer the following question: What is the role of ignorance in moral education for Rousseau? While some interpreters have acknowledged his sensitivity to various groups in society with regard to moral education, none has properly systematized the different types of ignorance that Rousseau praises or identified the benefits of those types of ignorance to various individuals and societies. I distinguish the savage’s ignorance from that of Socrates and identify another important type of ignorance, the benefits of which stem from our natural sentiment and innate curiosity.

Proefschrift--Philosophische Fakultät--Köln--Universität, 2003. / Bibliogr. p. 171-181.

Texte remanié de: Thesis Ph. D--Harvard university, 1999. Titre de soutenance : The conversion of Enlightenment. / Notes bibliogr.

Diss.--München, 2001. / Bibliogr. p. 207-213.

Texte remanié de: Thèse de doctorat--Droit--Paris 2, 2002. / Bibliogr. p. 681-739. Index.

Thèse de doctorat : Sciences du langage. Analyse du discours : Paris 12 : 2006. / Version électronique uniquement consultable au sein de l'Université Paris 12 (Intranet). Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. f. 387-410. Index.

Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Lettres : Lyon 3 : 2003. / Bibliogr. Index.

Texte remanié de : Dissertation : Romanistik : Konstanz : 1982. / Bibliogr. p. 339-346.