Play all audios:
ABSTRACT GOETHE, the greatest poet that Germany has produced, was a dominating intelligence who must claim a prominent place in any history of the human mind, and he devoted a considerable
part of his effort to scientific studies. Further, he attached the greatest importance to this part of his achievement : he said to Eckermann—who played to him the part of Boswell to
Johnson—"I do not attach importance to my work as a poet, but I do claim to be alone in in my time in apprehending the truth about colour". It is not suggested that this
represented his balanced judgment—passages can, of course, be quoted to show that he attached the greatest value to his poetry, as when he spoke of it to Eckermann as _Mein Eigentliches
Gliick_ and regretted the' time spent on anything else—but, even if an exaggeration, it is one of many instances showing that for him his science was vastly significant. Yet we must
face the fact that while there is in this scientific work of his much that is of the greatest interest, for the light that it throws on a superlative and complex character, there is not
much—except, some would contend, in his botanical studies—that is important for the history of science. Further, it is, alas, precisely where he thought his scientific work most significant,
namely, in his attacks on Newton and in his theory of colour, that he most completely fails. Goethe's scientific work may, perhaps, almost stand with Newton's work on theology and
chronology—excellent, in many ways, if judged by the standards of the times, very important in the eyes of its producer, but not likely to have been remembered to-day had it been produced
by a lesser man. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution
Subscribe to this journal Receive 51 print issues and online access $199.00 per year only $3.90 per issue Learn more Buy this article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full
article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs *
Contact customer support Authors * E. N. da C. Andrade View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions
ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Andrade, E. Goethe as Natural Philosopher. _Nature_ 164, 338–340 (1949). https://doi.org/10.1038/164338a0 Download citation * Issue Date: 27 August 1949
* DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/164338a0 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not
currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative