Goethes Farbenlehre
Summary
Goethe's research into nature was often based on his view that whenever you find
complex ("mannigfaltige") natural phenomena, there has always been a
development from simple phenomena. In this connexion his interest focused on the
identification of primordial phenomena ("Urphänomene") and not on the
temporal aspects of development. This was also true for his studies of color.
Based on erroneous interpretations of prismatic experiments, he put forward the
theory that all colors developed from the two primordial colors yellow and blue,
which were, according to Goethe, the two "first and simplest colors'.
Although some of his assumptions were incorrect, his theory has many
similarities with current phylogenetic findings, according to which our color
vision is derived from an original perception of two colors, possibly yellow and
blue. This similarity needs clarification on an interdisciplinary level as well
as research to determine the degree to which Goethe's own physiological
condition influenced his study of colors. The author suggests that a reappraisal
of this, the largest section of Goethe's scientific work is now necessary.
book (in German)
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