Anima Mundi: The Rise of the World Soul Theory in Modern German Philosophy (International Archives of the History of Ideas Archives internationales d'histoire des idées Book 202)

First affirmed by Plato, the concept of the world as a cosmic living being, possessed of a soul, gained great importance in the Stoic and Neo-Platonic philosophical schools. Several medieval philosophers displayed an interest in this theory of the world soul, which retained its attractive power even into the Renaissance. However, the leading early modern rationalists, especially Leibniz, found the world soul philosophically unacceptable. Why and how then did the German Romantics of the late 1700s and early 1800s – first and foremost Franz von Baader and Schelling – come resolutely to posit the existence of the world soul? In Anima Mundi: The Rise of the World Soul Theory in Modern German Philosophy , Miklós Vassányi shows that the metaphysical aspirations of the early German Romantics could not be satisfied by the Leibnizian concept of a God beyond the world. Powerful as Leibniz’s argument is when primarily the existence of God is considered, it fails to convincingly account for the presence of God within the world, and for the unity of the world. The fundamental existential experience of the Romantics was that God is immediately present in Nature, that God and Nature constitute an indissoluble Absolute. The best philosophical instrument to articulate their theory of the interpenetration of the Finite and the Infinite was a theory of the soul of the world. Anima Mundi: The Rise of the World Soul Theory in Modern German Philosophy 4 Acknowledgments 6 Contents 8 Signs 16 1: Introduction 18 1 The Concept of the Soul of the World in Plato 18 2 The Concept of the Soul of the World in Plotinus 20 3 The Major Difference Between the Classical and the Early Modern Conceptions of the World Soul 21 4 The Chief Objective and the Structural Outline of the Enquiry 22 5 Thematic Limitations and Terminology 25 Part I: Opposition to the Identification of the World Soul with God in the Philosophia Leibnitio-Wolffiana: The Theory of God as the ‘ens extramundanum.’ 28 2: Presentation of the Texts Relevant for the Concept of an anima mundi. The Immediate Natural Theological Setting of the Problem 30 1 Leibniz’s Mature Position on the anima mundi in Deum none sse mundi animam (appr. 1683–1686), De ipsa natura... (1698), Considerations sur la doctrine d’un Esprit Universel Unique (1702) 30 2 Wolff: Theologia naturalis, Pars prima (1736) 35 3 Baumgarten: Metaphysica (11739) 37 4 Ploucquet: De hylozoismo veterum et recentiorum (1775) 39 3: The Distinctive Philosophical Content of the Concept of an “anima mundi” in Leibniz and His Followers. Arguments of This School Against the General Theory of anima mundi. A Broader Natural Philosophical and Metaphysical Discussion of Their Answer Positions 42 1 Leibnizian Natural Philosophy in General: De ipsa natura... (1698). Leibniz’s Position in Relation to that of Malebranche (De la recherche de la vérité, 1674–75 & Traité de la nature et de la grace, 1680) and J. Ch. Sturm (Idolum naturae..., 1692), Respectively. 42 2 Propedeutical Characterization of the Difference Between Mens & Anima, According to Leibniz: Systeme Nouveau de la Nature... (Publ. 1695), Letter to R. Ch. Wagner (4th June 1710), Principes de la Nature et de la Grace, Fondés en Raison (Appr. 1712–1714), etc. 53 3 Leibniz’s Alleged Panpsychism versus the Organicistic Interpretation of His Doctrine of Substance 59 4 Leibniz’s Particular Arguments Against the Identification of God with the World Soul in Deum non esse animam mundi. The Problematic Possibility that There is an anima mundi Subordinate to God 62 5 Leibniz’s Toleration of the Nominal Identification of a Universal Spirit with the World Soul. His Arguments Against the Identification of God with the Totality of All Finite Spirits: Considerations sur la Doctrine d’un Esprit Universel Unique. Plotinus’ Arguents 67 6 The Wolffian Argument Against the Existence of a World Soul: the Difference of the Object of Perception from the Organ of Perception 79 7 A General Assessment of the Theology of Causal Divine Presence in the Wolffian-Baumgartenian School and Its Shortcomings 84 8 Ploucquet’s Criticism of Hylozoism and of Leibnizian Monadology. His Own Philosophy of Nature 89 9 A Systematic Confrontation of the General anima mundi Theory with the Theology of Causal Divine Presence of the Leibnizian Tradition 98 Part II: “Les Naturalistes” – Eighteenth-Century Physico-Theology: The Scientific Demonstration of the Existence and Attributes of God from the Teleology of Nature. The World Soul Theory in Physico-Theology. Physico-Theology As a Source of Inspiration for the Early 102 4: Preliminary Historical and Conceptual Presentation of “L’Histoire Naturelle” in Selected Major Works of some Leading Naturalists. The Relation of Natural Science to Theology or Spirituality in their Works 104 1 Definition of the Key Concepts: “Les Naturalistes” and “Physico-Theology” 104 2 Major Sources of Eighteenth-Century Physico-Theology 107 5: General Philosophical Analysis of Physico-Theology 120 1 The Quality of Physico-Theology as a Natural Science: the Example of Cosmology 120 2 Physico-Theology as a Philosophical Science. The Logical Skeleton of the Physico-Theological Argument for the Existence and Attributes of God 122 3 A Logically Formalized Exposition of the Physico-Theological Argument 124 4 The Problem of Evil and the Physico-Theological Argument 126 5 The Possible Resolution of the Problem of Evil Within the Bounds of the Physico-Theological Theory 126 6 The Atheistic Hylozoistic Alternative to Physico-Theology 128 7 The Physico-Theological Position in Respect of the Atheistic Hylozoistic Theory 130 8 Kant’s Criticism of the Physico-Theological Argument for the Existence and Attributes of God in the Critique of Pure Reason 132 9 A Criticism of Kant’s Criticism of Physico-Theology 133 10 Jacob’s Ladder as the First Metaphysical Metaphor of Eighteenth-Century Physico-Theology 134 11 The Second Metaphysical Metaphor of Eighteenth-Century Physico-Theology That Creation Is the Language of the Creator 137 12 The Indefinite Presence of God in Physico-Theology. Physico-Theology as a Source of Inspiration for the Early German Romantics 137 Part III: Gradual Rise of the Concept of a World Soul in the ‘Lessingzeit’. Philosophical Cabbala, Spinozism and Mysticism: Böhme and Ötinger; Spinoza, Lessing and the Pantheismus-Streit; Giordano Bruno’s Influence in the Epoch 142 6: Böhme’s Speculative Theology (De signatura rerum, 1622). Ötinger’s Cabbalistic Theory of the World as a Glorious Divine Epiphany or Shekhinā; 144 1 The Tradition of Philosophical Cabbala; Böhme’s and Ötinger’s Work 144 2 Böhme’s Speculative Theology as a Philosophy of Nature. The Two Speculative Principles of His Theology 146 3 Böhme’s Übergang from Theology to Cosmogony and Physics: a Probabilistic Step-by-Step Description of the Origin of the Physical Universe 150 4 A Systematic Analysis of Böhmean Theology: the Eternally Incomplete Delivery of the World by God (Gebärung der Welt) Is a Birth of God Himself (Geburt Gottes). The Identity of Cosmogony with Theogony 154 5 The Eschatological Facet of Böhmean Theology and the Role of Alchemy: the Transfiguration of the Material Body into the Pure Spiritual Element. The Doctrine of Geistliche Körperlichkeit, and Its Importance for the German Romantics 159 6 Böhme’s Unsystematic Concept of the “Seele der großen Welt”: a Third Version of Probabilistic Cosmogony 160 7 Ötinger’s Theology of Glorious Divine Epiphany (Shechinā or Herrlichkeit): the Ontological Relation of the Ten Representative Manifestations (Sephiroth) of God, to the Essence of God 163 8 Ötinger’s Metaphysics: the Ontological Eminence of Spiritual Corporeality. God’s Spiritual Body. The Mutual Transformability of Spiritual and Material Substance (Corporificatio and Essentiatio) 170 9 Spiritual Space as the Sensorium Dei. Ötinger’s Reference to Newton’s Optice (1706 Edition). Newton’s Denial That God Is the Soul of the World 176 10 Ötinger’s Fragmentary Cosmogony, and His Idea of God’s Influxus ‘Spirituo-Corporalis’ on the Physical World. God’s Quasi-Physical Presence 184 11 Ötinger’s Rejection of the Identification of God with the Weltseele. His Non-exhaustive Differentiation of Geist from Seele, Within His System of Vivifying Principles. His Possible Alternative of the Weltseele-Theory: the Idea of a Spiritus Universalis. Recapitulation 193 7: The Philosophical Incompatibility of Spinoza’s System with the World Soul Theory. Bayle’s Identification of Spinozism with the World Soul Theory, and Wachter’s Denial of the Same. Lessing’s Statement Concerning the World Soul, and His Alleged Spinosism 204 1 Spinoza’s Pananimism. His General Conception and Definition of the Soul in the Korte verhandeling, Second Appendix: Van de menschelyke ziel (approx. 1660–1662, publ. 11862), the Cogitata metaphysica (1663), and the Epistles OP NoXXXIV (1665) and XXI (1675) 204 2 Spinoza’s Specific Definition of the Soul in the Korte verhandeling and Ethica I–II (1663–1675): the Case of the Human Mind, mens humana. The Role of the Ideas as Mediators Between the Infinite Intellect, and the Finite Minds. Philosophical Parallelism with 214 3 Spinoza’s Concept of God as the Single Infinite Substance. The Philosophical Incompatibility of Spinozism with the anima mundi-Theory 221 4 Bayle’s Fundamental Philosophical Intention in the Spinoza-Article of His Dictionaire historique et critique (1697) 227 5 Bayle’s Identification of Spinozism with the World Soul Theory in Footnote A of the Spinoza-Article. Seneca’s Concept of God as an Alleged Philosophical Mediator. Bayle’s Own Criticism of the World Soul Theory 232 6 Wachter’s Position in the Elucidarius Cabalisticus (1702, publ. 1706) that Spinozism is Philosophically Incompatible with the World Soul Theory 241 7 Leibniz’s Confrontation with Wachter and Spinoza, in His Animadversiones ad Joh. Georg. Wachteri librum de Recondita Hebraeorum Philosophia (approx. 1706–1710), in Connection with the Anima mundi-Theory 250 8 The Rejection of the World Soul in Hemsterhuis’s Theology (Aristée ou de la divinité 1779). Space as an Attribute of God. Hemsterhuis’s Philosophical Relationship to Spinozism. Lessing’s Understanding of Hemsterhuis’s Theology, as Reflected in His Convers 257 9 The Character of Lessing’s Philosophical Convictions: Mme de Staël on Lessing. A Synoptic Presentation of His Natural Theology and Turn Toward Spinozism: Das Christenthum der Vernunft (1753, posth. publ. 1784), Ueber die Wirklichkeit der Dinge außer Gott 269 10 The Psychological Coherence of Jacobi’s Personality, and His Own Philosophical Relation to Spinozism, as Intrinsic Guarantees for His Veracity in the Spinozismus- Streit. The Historical Philosophical Truthfulness of Jacobi’s Account of Lessing’s ‘eigenes 279 11 Lessing’s Statement About God Conceived as the World Soul (1): His Philosophical Sympathy for a Cabbalistic Spinozism, According to the Presentation of Jacobi’s Ueber die Lehre des Spinoza (11785). Historical Derivation of Lessing’s Concept of the Cosmog 285 12 Lessing’s Statement about God Conceived as the World Soul (2): The Idea of God’s Cosmogonical Contraction and Expansion in H. More’s Fundamenta Philosophiae sive Cabbalae Aëto-paedo-melissaeae (1677), and van Helmont’s Seder Olam ... (1693). Wachter’s Invo 314 13 Mendelssohn’s Rejection of the World Soul in Pope ein Metaphysiker! (1755), within the Frame of His Rational Theology as Propounded in the Morgenstunden oder Vorlesungen über das Daseyn Gottes (1785) 327 14 Herder’s Rejection of the Univocal Identification of God with the World Soul in Gott. Einige Gespräche (1787) in the Context of His Cosmic Theology. The Quasi-World Soul of the Ideen zur Philosophie der Geschichte der Menschheit V/2 (1784) 334 8: The World Soul in Giordano Bruno’s De lacausa, principio et uno (1584) and De l’infinito, universo e mondi (1584). The Revival of Bruno’s Philosophy in Late Eighteenth to Early Nineteenth-Century German Thought 346 1 A Philosophical Analysis of Bruno’s Concept of l’anima del mondo and Its Connection with the Notion of an intelletto universale, and with the Concept of God 346 2 Bruno’s Influence on Jacobi (Ueber die Lehre des Spinoza, 2nd ed. 1789, Beylage I), S. Maimon (Auszug aus Jordan Bruno von Nola, 1793) and Schelling (Bruno, 1802) 360 3 A Philosophical Recapitulation of Part Three. An Introduction to Part Four: The Reception of the World Soul Theory in Early German Romanticism 370 Part IV: The Philosophical Postulation of the World Soul in Early German Romanticism 378 9: The World Soul in Baader’s and Schelling’s Conceptions 380 1 Baader’s Theory of Heat Matter As the Soul of the World (Vom Wärmestoff, seiner Vertheilung, Bindung und Entbindung, vorzüglich beim Brennen der Körper, 1786) in Relation to Kant’s Idea of ‘materia caloris’, Boerhaave’s Chemical Idea of ‘verus Ignis’, Lavoisisier's 380 2 Schelling’s Theory of the World Soul in the Timaios-Manuscript (1794), in the Introduction to the Ideen zu einer Philosophie der Natur (1797), in Von der Weltseele (1798,1806, 1809), and in Die Weltalter (versions of 1811 and 1814). The Influence of Kant's 392 3 General Conclusion 410 Bibliography 414 Section I: Primary Sources 416 Section II: Reference Works 426 Index of Titles of Philosophicaland Other Works 432 Name Index 438 Index of Philosophical and Historical Concepts 444 Front Matter....Pages i-xv Front Matter....Pages 11-11 Introduction....Pages 1-9 Presentation of the Texts Relevant for the Concept of an anima mundi . The Immediate Natural Theological Setting of the Problem....Pages 13-23 The Distinctive Philosophical Content of the Concept of an “ anima mundi ” in Leibniz and His Followers. Arguments of This School Against the General Theory of anima mundi . A Broader Natural Philosophical and Metaphysical Discussion of Their Answer Positions....Pages 25-83 Front Matter....Pages 85-85 Preliminary Historical and Conceptual Presentation of “ L’Histoire Naturelle ” in Selected Major Works of some Leading Naturalists. The Relation of Natural Science to Theology or Spirituality in their Works....Pages 87-101 General Philosophical Analysis of Physico-Theology....Pages 103-123 Front Matter....Pages 125-125 Böhme’s Speculative Theology ( De signatura rerum , 1622). Ötinger’s Cabbalistic Theory of the World as a Glorious Divine Epiphany or Sh e khinā ; and his Problematic Rejection of the Concept of Weltseele ( Offentliches Denckmahl der Lehrtafel einer ... Prinzessin Antonia , 1763)....Pages 127-185 The Philosophical Incompatibility of Spinoza’s System with the World Soul Theory. Bayle’s Identification of Spinozism with the World Soul Theory, and Wachter’s Denial of the Same. Lessing’s Statement Concerning the World Soul, and His Alleged Spinozism in Jacobi’s Ueber die Lehre des Spinoza ( 1 1785), Mendelssohn’s Morgenstunden (1785), and Herder’s Gott. Einige Gespräche (1787). Herder’s Rejection of the Identification of God with the Weltseele ....Pages 187-327 The World Soul in Giordano Bruno’s De la causa, principio et uno (1584) and De l’infinito, universo e mondi (1584). The Revival of Bruno’s Philosophy in Late Eighteenth to Early Nineteenth-Century German Thought....Pages 329-360 Front Matter....Pages 361-361 The World Soul in Baader’s and Schelling’s Conceptions....Pages 363-396 Back Matter....Pages 397-434 This work presents and philosophically analyzes the early modern and modern history of the theory concerning the soul of the world, anima mundi. The initial question of the investigation is why there was a revival of this theory in the time of the early German Romanticism, whereas the concept of the anima mundi had been rejected in the earlier, classical period of European philosophy (early and mature Enlightenment). The presentation and analysis starts from the Leibnizian-Wolffian school, generally hostile to the theory, and covers classical eighteenth-century physico-theology, also reluctant to accept an anima mundi. Next, it discusses early modern and modern Christian philosophical Cabbala (Böhme and Ötinger), an intellectual tradition which to some extent tolerated the idea of a soul of the world. The philosophical relationship between Spinoza and Spinozism on the one hand, and the anima mundi theory on the other is also examined. An analysis of Giordano Bruno's utilization of the concept anima del mondo is the last step before we give an account of how and why German Romanticism, especially Baader and Schelling asserted and applied the theory of the Weltseele. The purpose of the work is to prove that the philosophical insufficiency of a concept of God as an ens extramundanum instigated the Romantics to think an anima mundi that can act as a divine and quasi-infinite intermediary between God and Nature, as a locum tenens of God in physical reality. Miklós Vassányi. Revised: Thesis--katholieke Universiteit Te Leuven, 2007. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes.