The psychosomatics of virtue in the age of sensibility
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15291/ai.1271Keywords:
bolest, doba senzibiliteta, Julija ili Nova Heloiza, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, vrlinaAbstract
After a brief overview of the second half of the 18th century and those elements that define theextensive analysis of the phenomenon of sensibility as its key characteristic, this paper focuseson two paths of research: the first lies within medical research, which labeled sensibility as thecause of "nervous diseases”, while the second lies within the field of philosophy, which labeledsensibility as an instrument for attaining virtue. The melding of the medical and philosophicaldiagnoses is illustrated by a review of Rousseau’s female protagonist from Julie, or the newHeloise. This conclusively creates the necessary conditions for the theme of the sick body, thevisually unpleasant signs of which in fact bear witness to the morally upright and highly desirablecharacteristics of the individual.
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