PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE OF DREAMS:
THE INTERFACE BETWEEN TWO SEEMINGLY ANTITHETICAL APPROACHES
Open Access
Author:
Khan, Sakiba
Area of Honors:
Philosophy
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Vincent M Colapietro, Thesis Supervisor Vincent M Colapietro, Thesis Supervisor John Philip Christman, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Dreams Freud Jung neuroscience
Abstract:
The primary focus of this paper is to attempt to unravel the mysteriousness behind dreams. This thesis first focuses on ancient theories from civilizations such as Greek, Egyptian, and Indian. Monotheistic religious thoughts on dream occurrence and interpretation will then be discussed, examining the intersections within each of these religions. Following this, the thesis will examine what major philosophers and psychologists, such as Descartes, Freud, and Jung, propose regarding the cause and purpose of dreams. Introduced in this chapter will be the Oedipus Rex complex, the unconscious versus the conscious mind, and the superego versus the id. The next major portion will focus on modern oneirology-- the scientific study of dreams focusing on brain signals and activity. Among the neuro-scientific theories in discussion are reverse learning, activation synthesis, and memory consolidation. The final chapter will first make evident the downfalls of established scientific beliefs on dream work, with emphasis on the activation synthesis theory. The final chapter will also attempt to bridge philosophy and science with respect to dream studies by re-examining Freudian dream theories and the latest neuroscientific studies on dreams.
