Download 18th-20th century views

Philosophy of Dreams and Sleeping:
18th-early 20th century views
Markku Roinila
Continuation and variation
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Whereas the Early Modern philosophers discussed more
or less of the same problems posed by Descartes, in
Enlightment and German idealism there are really not
new themes. Philosophers discussed various old
problems, sometimes giving them new solutions and
variations to old solutions.
A good example is the divination-theory. Being secular
philosophers, the Enlightenment thinkers opposed the
idea and tried to explain the dreams by natural causes.
For this reason one common theme is the somatic theory
of dreams. Many Enlightenment thinkers and Kant
thought, following Hobbes, that dreams follow from
somatic impulses like stomac problems or digestion.
Hobbes (and Aristotle) was also central influence in that
dreams were seen as product of imagination. For
example, Hartley wrote: ”Dreams are nothing but the
imaginations, fancies or reveries of a sleeping man”
(Observations, I.iii.5) – they are founded on somatic
impulses, the state of the body.
Excess of imaginations was commonly seen as madness –
so if the dreaming continues in waking state, there is a
mental illness.
Voltaire
 Voltaire (François-Marie
Arouet, 1694-1778) thinks
that predictive or prophetic
conception of dreams is pure
superstition and bullshit.
 Supported the somatic theory
of Hobbes – argues that often
dreams result from the excess
of the passions of the soul.
 Keyword ’Somnabulists and
Dreamers’ in Philosophical
Dictionary (1764)
Voltaire on creative dreams
 However, Voltaire has a seemingly contradictory view to the somatic theory: he argues
that we often utilize in the dreams our highest rational abilities.
 Like Leibniz, Voltaire thought that one can make judgements in dreams and once can be
creative in dreams. In ’Somnabulists and Dreamers’ he describes a theology student:
“You, Mr. Seminarist, born with the gift of imitation, you have listened to some hundred
sermons, and your brain is prepared to make them: moved by the talent of imitation, you
have written them waking; and you are led by the same talent and impulse when you are
asleep. But how have you been able to become a preacher in a dream? You went to sleep,
without any desire to preach. Remember well the first time that you were led to compose
the sketch of a sermon while awake.You thought not of it a quarter of an hour before; but
seated in your chamber, occupied in a reverie without any determinate ideas, your memory
recalls, without your will interfering, the remembrance of a certain holiday; this holiday
reminds you that sermons are delivered on that day; you remember a text; this text suggests
an exordium; pens, ink, and paper, are lying near you; and you begin to write things you had
not the least previous intention of writing.”
 Voltaire is sceptical against Descartes’s dream argument: “Explain to me an animal who is
a mere machine one-half of his life, and who changes his nature twice every twenty-four
hours.”
Voltaire: ’Letter On Dreams To The Editor Of The Literary
Gazette, August, 1764’.
” Every dream of a forcible nature is produced by some excess, either in the passions of the
soul, or the nourishment of the body; it seems as if nature intended to punish us for them,
by suggesting ideas, and making us think in spite of ourselves.”
“We must acknowledge, with Petronius, “Quid-quid luce fuit, tenebris agit.” [what happens
in the light, continues its existence in the darkness]. I have known advocates who have
pleaded in dreams; mathematicians who have sought to solve problems; and poets who have
composed verses. I have made some myself, which are very passable. It is therefore
incontestable, that consecutive ideas occur in sleep, as well as when we are awake, which
ideas as certainly come in spite of us. We think while sleeping, as we move in our beds,
without our will having anything to do either in the motive or the thought.”
‘Of Dreams’
“Dreams have always formed a great object of superstition, and nothing is more natural. A
man deeply affected by the sickness of his mistress dreams that he sees her dying; she dies
the next day; and of course the gods have predicted her death.”
Kant
 As Immanuel (1724-1804)
Kant created a systematic
new kind of philosophy of his
own, he had something to say
about dreams also.
 We have already discussed his
early commentary on
Swedenborg, the Dreams of a
spirit seer which also includes
some original views on
dreams.The most original
one concerns the role played
by the mind in dreaming.
Kant and the Somatic Theory
 LikeVoltaire, Kant did not believe in the divination-theory. We do not
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see prophetic visions or holy enthuasism in dreams.
In the Dreams of the Spirit-Seer he followed Hobbes (and Aristotle) in
thinking that dreams can be more vivid than waking thoughts because
the senses are closed down.
He also followed Hobbes in thinking that the dream images are more
vivid than images in the waking life. On the other hand, he followed
Locke in thinking that when one is asleep, one is separated from the
body.
According to Kant, when one wakes up, one cannot recall the dream
images as being part of the same person.
Kant seems to think that because in the sleeping state the body is not
disturbing the active mind, we can think better. He says in Dreams that
those who are sleepwalking have more intelligence than normally,
although they cannot remember anything when they wake up.
Dreams are not really sleeping
 Kant says that when we are seeing dreams, we dot not sleep completely. We are
perceiving distinctly and turn our inner actions to impressions from outer
senses.
 In this way one can remember them afterwards, but they are considered as wild
and irrational imaginations, because the fantasies and perceptions by outer
senses are mixed together.
 In other words, the soul is projecting itself to the dreams where inner images
and sensible external images are mixed with each other. Because of this mixture
the dreams seem strange to the waking person. In this way it seems that the
mind is active in the process. Thus Kant seems to agree with Descartes that we
are always thinking.
 In Kant’s critical philosophy, dreams are not fully determined by the categories,
but they are connected to the understanding: to dream or to hallucinate is
necessarily to have experience expressible in judgemental form – the
intentional objects of dream are dependent on the categories in the end. In this
way dreams objects of inner sense.
Some other 19th century views
 Goethe thought that in dreams we
heal our problems, gain consolation
and once we wake up, we are joyful
and ready to face the new day
(compare Hobson)
 Ralph Waldo Emerson emphasized
the connection between dreams and
character. Dreams reflect our
character, especially those
characteristic which are not notable
in the behavior of the waking life.
We can also recognize in the
dreams of other persons their
hidden forces which affect their
behavior and in this way we can
often predict their future actions
(compare Freud).
Henri Bergson (1859-1941) on dreams
 Close to Locke’s theory – he thinks that
there is a vast reservoir of memory
fragments in us which form the content
of dreams. But Bergson gives it a
Freudian twist – these fragments are
forgottent, latent content of dreams.
 According to Bergson, our memories
form at all times a sort of pyramid and
its point penetrates to our current
activities. We will forget nothing. When
I am dreaming, all these memories rise
from the cellar of our mind.
 Therefore there is a great difference
between the sleeping and waking state.
 In dreams we are indifferent and we are
interested in only somatic impulses.