Leaves of Fittonia gigantea “alba” (giant netleaf) in the Jena Botanical Garden
In his old age, Goethe sketched out a scientific course of development (WA II, 9, 299 ff.). In key words, he parallels his own life with the dynamic development of natural science between 1750 and 1820:
“Beautiful good fortune to have lived through the second half of the last century.
Great advantage to have been at the same time as great discoveries.
You look at them as brothers, sisters, relatives, even as daughters and sons as far as you are involved.
Shortly before I was born, electricity aroused new interest.
Expansion of this chapter.
Attempt at theoretical views.
The invention of the weather conductor.
Joy of the frightened people about it.
Disturbed by the Lisbon earthquake.
Domestic friend, turned against electricity.
Childish efforts of his own.
Very soon turned against visible nature.
Not really a sharp face.
Hence the gift of seeing objects gracefully.
Growing objectivity.
Attention to the sunset.
The colorful fading brightness.
Colored shadows.
Other natural phenomena.
Rainbow.
Actually a dark circle with colored edges.
Winkler's physics in Leipzig.
Alchemical groping at home.
Long break filled by youthful passions.
Actual beginning.
In Weimar.
[...]
Great advantage of successive cognition.
[...]
The advantage of not being from the profession.
One has nothing old to hold on to, nothing new to reject or envy.
I always tried to master the simplest phenomenon and expected diversity from others. [...]”
