A tudományos tudás áramlásának mintázatai Magyarországon, 1770-1830. Az álom filozófiai értelmezésének kezdetei a 18–19. századi Magyarországon

The first philosophical works on dreams (oneirology) appeared in Hungary at the end of the 18th century, a period when Leibniz and Wolff's philosophy dominated education. István Nyíri (1776–1836) published the first openly autonomous study on the topic, The Philosophy of Dream (1836), which systematized dream phenomena using Schelling's concepts (Konstruktion, Potenzen). Nyíri's unique typology placed all dream-related phenomena—from waking thought to cases described by Mesmer or somnambulism—into a single interpretive field. The only similarly autonomous early work in Hungarian reception of German Idealism was Lajos Schedius' Principia philocaliae seu doctrina pulcri (1828), which served as a model for Nyíri's treatise. The Philosophy of Dream is a key work in Hungarian oneirological literature and an important stage in 19th-century Hungarian philosophy.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The first works treating dream philosophy (oneirology) were published at the end of the 18th century in Hungary, in a time, due to the educational traditions, dominated by the philosophy of Leibniz and Wolff. The first author who openly and autonomously was engaged with this philosophical issue was István Nyíri (1776–1836) in his The Philosophy of Dream (1836). This systematizing study used the concepts of Schelling as well (Konstruktion, Potenzen). Nyíri’s typology was unique in the sense that he placed all phenomena relating to dreams (from awakeness or thinking to cases described by Memser or somnambulism) into to one interpretative field. Among the works published in the early phase of the Hungarian reception of German Idealism there was only one similarly autonomous writing, namely Lajos Schedius’ Principia philocaliae seu doctrina pulcri (1828), which served as a model for Nyíri’s treatise as well. The Philosophy of Dream is not only a key work of our oneirological literature but also an important stage in the development of 19th century Hungarian philosophy.