In lieu of the idea of progress, Coleridge adopted a different angle. His ideas placed sanctity in the whole of a person and not solely in the scientific ways and means to an end. Though Coleridge accepted that scientific study was needed, he recognized that more was essential than the "pure rationality of the age of reason," as he defined in Biographie Literaria. In this work, Coleridge argues that pure scientific study in incomplete and will not lead to continued human progess. .
The industrial revolution had taken shape by the mid-eighteenth century. The newly adopted idea of progress was applied to industry. Romantics tended to reject this industrialized idea of progress. However, in hopes that a "new European society based on liberty and equality might emerge" Romantics accepted that idea when applied to politics and society. Sorely after the revolution had turned to bloody absolutism, the Romantic's sang a different tune.
Coleridge concluded that the experience of humans goes beyond the simple notion of the physical realm. All matters of non-rational thought had to be taken into consideration, including: emotions, passions, dreams, and illusions. Coleridge believe that though most agree there are "certain objective perceptions to the physical world, other perceptions of both the physical world and of the interior world of the human psyche must remain subjective." Colaridge places sanctuary in the human imagination and its power. He argues that rational definitions of human experiences and existence are merely fancy. We need the power of understanding to exercise our will.
Aware of Coleridge's criticisms of the idea of progress and amidst a "political and intellectual climate," Keats wrote the infamous poem, "Ode to a Nightingale." The poem was of Romantic style and defied poetry of the Age of Reason. Agreeing with Coleridge, Keats recognized that scientific finds are not enough to constitute man's purpose.
