The morphology of Goethe's botanical work

Graduation date: 2012This thesis examines the morphology of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) through several lenses. The first explores Goethe's morphology as he applied it in his botanical work and supplies an explanation of what Goethe referred to as archetypal phenomena and the archetypal plant. The scope of exploration then broadens to include how Goethe's morphology related to contemporary intellectual trends, in particular Linnaean taxonomy and Kantian Idealism. These contexts serve to situate the development of Goethe's own thinking from his initial formulations of morphology to later variations. The second half of the thesis focuses on contemporary applications of Goethe's ideas in morphology. Natural aesthetics serves as a natural extension. Modern theories of natural aesthetics seek out different justifications for aesthetic experiences arising from engagement with the natural world and this thesis offers Goethe's morphology as an additional possibility. The final chapter looks at The Nature Institute and how it has adopted Goethe's methods and applied them to modern genetics while expanding its scope to include cultural and ethical contexts. Through its presentation, this thesis intends that Goethe's morphology can be applied beyond it usual biological subject matter, including itself