▁could ▁not ▁thereby ▁be ▁satisf actor ily ▁explained . ▁On ▁the ▁one ▁side , ▁the ▁material ▁scient ists ▁sought ▁a ▁solution ▁in ▁reducing ▁the ▁non - material ▁or ▁met aph ys ical ▁to ▁‘ just ’ ▁a ▁manifest ation ▁of ▁the ▁material , ▁essentially ▁thereby ▁ign oring ▁that ▁this ▁did ▁not ▁at ▁all ▁account ▁for ▁life . ▁On ▁the ▁other ▁side , ▁a ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁‘ Old ▁School ’ , ▁drawing ▁from ▁the ▁Hi pp ocr atic ▁hum oral ▁theory ▁( in vol ving ▁non - me chan ical , ▁ ether ic ▁concepts ), ▁sought ▁to ▁emphas ize ▁the ▁non - phys ical ▁or ▁vital ▁aspect ▁of ▁nature , ▁which ▁somehow ▁existed ▁above ▁and ▁outside ▁of ▁nature ▁and ▁directed ▁its ▁activities . ▁The ▁Rom antic ▁scient ists ▁and ▁philosoph ers ▁rejected ▁both ▁reduction ist ▁me ch ano - material ism ▁( material ▁natural ▁science ) ▁and ▁confl ation ist ▁myst ical - ide al ism ▁( v ital ism ). ▁ ▁Lock e , ▁F ichte ▁and ▁German ▁Ide al ism ▁ ▁Rom antic ism ▁also ▁involved ▁a ▁fundamental ▁understanding ▁of ▁functional ▁polar ities ▁as ▁the ▁basis ▁for ▁and ▁ess ence ▁of ▁life ▁as ▁Ide a , ▁Law ▁and ▁Princi ple . ▁One ▁of ▁these ▁polar ities ▁in ▁cultural ▁history ▁involved ▁the ▁sem inal ▁influence ▁of ▁the ▁English ▁genius ▁and ▁the ▁germ inal ▁or ▁gest ational ▁genius ▁of ▁German - language ▁culture . ▁Col er idge ▁mentions ▁this ▁in ▁his ▁Ess ays ▁on ▁Method , ▁and ▁the ▁theme ▁is ▁expl ored