Abstract
THE celebration of the centenary of the death of Goethe, which occurred on March 22, 1832, has evoked a series of works dealing with the activities of that unique genius. Among them is a critical biography by Prof. J. G. Robertson, the eminent authority on the life and works of Goethe.* This treatise is outside the scope, but not indeed outside the interests, of a scientific journal such as NATURE, except for the fact that it includes an enlightening chapter on Goethe's contributions to science. As a matter of personal history Prof. Robertson can scarcely be expected to take other than a detached view of Goethe's scientific achievements, and it is therefore not surprising to find him stating that “we look to Goethe, not for scientific discovery, an activity with which many other minds were as able—and perhaps better able—to cope successfully, but to more precious discoveries in the realm of the spirit and the imagination. May we not thus cherish something of a grudge that his immersion in scientific pursuits took up so very large a share in his life ?” Prof. Robertson, however, would be the first to admit that Goethe himself would have indignantly denounced such an attitude, which strikes at the root of one of his characteristic speculations as to the nature of creative art. To him the living organism was a work of art which only an artist could be expected to comprehend. Further, it is precisely those attributes of the spirit and imagination which give to his scientific work the qualities we all find so fascinating.
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COLE, F. Goethe as Biologist. Nature 129, 423–425 (1932). https://doi.org/10.1038/129423a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/129423a0