All My Friends Are Fictional’s Reviews > The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World > Status Update

„Humboldt's insight that we can only truly understand nature by using our imagination makes him a visionary.
This connection between knowledge, art and poetry, between science and emotions - the 'deeply-seated bond' […] - is more important than ever before. Humboldt was driven by a sense of wonder for the natural world - a sense of wonder that might help us today realize that we only protect what we love.“

„Haeckel wrote, art was one of the most important educational tools […]. What Humboldt had called the 'scientific and aesthetic contemplation' of the natural world, Haeckel now insisted, was essential for the understanding of the universe, and it was this appreciation that became a 'natural religion'. As long as there were scientists and artists, Haeckel believed, there was no need for priests and cathedrals.“

„The origin of the German colours black, red and gold is not entirely clear but a particularly independently minded group of Prussian soldiers who had fought against Napoleon's army between 1813 and 1815 had worn black uniforms with red facings and golden brass buttons. Later, when radical student fraternities were banned in many German states, the colours became a symbol for the fight for unity and liberty.“

„Humboldt had become used to admiration and flattery. The many young men who gathered around him formed something like his own 'royal court', one of the Berlin University professors noted. When Humboldt entered a room it was as if everything was recalibrated and the centre changed — 'all turned to him'. […] No one was ever able to interject a single word when Humboldt spoke, one German writer complained.“

„Their friendship could be tempestuous. […] Arago was one of the few people whom Humboldt trusted unconditionally — he could show him his fears and self-doubts. They were like 'Siamese twins', Humboldt later wrote, and their friendship was the 'joy of my life'. They were so close that Wilhelm von Humboldt became concerned about their relationship. 'You know his passion to be only with one person […]'.

„Nature was Humboldt's teacher. And the greatest lesson that nature offered was that of freedom. 'Nature is the domain of liberty,' Humboldt said, because nature's balance was created by diversity which might in turn be taken as a blueprint for political and moral truth. Everything […] had its role, and together they made the whole. Humankind was just one small part. Nature itself was a republic of freedom.“

„This variety and richness, but also the simplicity of the scientific information depicted, was unprecedented. […] The Naturgemälde showed for the first time that nature was a global force with corresponding climate zones across continents. Humboldt saw 'unity in variety'. Instead of placing plants in their taxonomic categories, he saw vegetation through the lens of climate and location […].“

„Humboldt was interested in volcanoes for two particular reasons. The first was to ascertain if they were 'local' occurrences or if they were linked subterraneously with each other. […] it was possible that they were connected through the core of the earth. Humboldt's second reason was that studying volcanoes might provide an answer to how the earth itself had been created.“

„Unlike most Europeans, Humboldt did not regard the indigenous people as barbaric, but instead was captivated by their culture, beliefs and languages. In fact, he talked about the 'barbarism of civilised man' when he saw how the local people were treated by colonists and mission-aries. When Humboldt returned to Europe, he brought with him a completely new portrayal of the so-called 'savages'.“