PSY 4127 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Dmitri Mendeleev, Frederick Greenwood, Frederick Banting
4 Jun 2018
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Dream History and Theory
Part 1 Dreams in Recent History: The Stuff of Innovation
Frederick Greenwood (Journalist) 1830-1909: Imagination in dreams and their study. While dreaming we draw on a
power of invention which it would puzzle us to equal with our eyes open.
Havelock Ellis (Physician) 1859-1939: Restraints and qualifications in waking life are removed during sleep.
Philosophy and Literature
i. Robert Lewis Stevenson: In 1886 he dreamed up key sequences from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll
and Mr Hyde, then he wrote the novel twice over in a matter of days.
ii. Mark Twain: dreamed the death in exact detail of his younger brother before it happened. Twain kept
telling and retelling the circumstances of Henrys death, in his mind and in his writing, for the rest of
his life.
iii. Mary Shelley: the first sci-fi novel. In 1816, the story of Frankenstein was inspired by a vivid
nightmare.
iv. Rene Descartes: Created dualism, where the mind is not physical. The idea of Cartesian coordinates
(became possible to geometrically represent any system of quantifiable relationships and thereby to
integrate them into a unified system of measurements) came to hum in a dream where he was told
mathematics would provide a means of combining all of the sciences.
v. Edmond Maillet (French Mathematician) 1865-1938: solved problems of elemental geometry through
dreaming. Our brains are working on the problems of the day through sleep. In sleep things are
creative and able to combine linear and non-linear thinking.
vi. Dmitri Mendeleyev: The Periodic Table
a. 1869 went to bed after trying unsuccessfully to conceptualize a way to categorize the chemical
elements based upon their technical weights.
b. Only in one place was a correction needed later, all the organization was successfully formed in
his dream.
vii. August Kekule: The Benzene Dream lead to an understanding or all aromatic compounds.
viii. Frederick Banting: dreaming resulted in his successful isolation of the hormone now known as insulin.
ix. Elias Howe: Locke and stich sewing machine, the dream helped him understand the mechanical
penetration of a needle.
x. Albert Einstein: Theory of Relativity
a. Discovered the principle of relativity after having a vivid dream about it.
b. As a young man, Einstein dreamed he was sledding down a steep mountain going so fast that he
eventually approached the speed of light.
c. As this moment, the starts in his dream changed their appearance in relation to him.
d. He awoke and meditated on this idea, soon formulating what would become one of the most
famous scientific discovery.
First Evidence of Dreams: The Cave of Forgotten Dreams, speculation imagery that reflects dreams in a French cave
dated 40 000 years old.
Historically dreams have fascinated humankind throughout recorded history. Thought to be:
- Visits from an external god
- The dreamers soul wandering
- Temporary disturbance of the brain and nervous system
- Reworking of unresolved emotional tensions
- Resolving PTSD, anxiety, emotional tensions
Ancient Mesopotamia
- Earliest cues about dreams are dated 5000 years
- Inhabitants of the first urban centers in Mesopotamia
- The cradle of civilization was in the central region of modern Iraq
- Substantial cities gradually developed
- Sumerians: first cultural group residing in Mesopotamia
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Part 1 dreams in recent history: the stuff of innovation. Frederick greenwood (journalist) 1830-1909: imagination in dreams and their study. While dreaming we draw on a power of invention which it would puzzle us to equal with our eyes open. Havelock ellis (physician) 1859-1939: restraints and qualifications in waking life are removed during sleep. Robert lewis stevenson: in 1886 he dreamed up key sequences from the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde, then he wrote the novel twice over in a matter of days. Mark twain: dreamed the death in exact detail of his younger brother before it happened. Twain kept telling and retelling the circumstances of henrys death, in his mind and in his writing, for the rest of his life. In 1816, the story of frankenstein was inspired by a vivid nightmare. Rene descartes: created dualism, where the mind is not physical. Edmond maillet (french mathematician) 1865-1938: solved problems of elemental geometry through dreaming.
