Sturm und Drang is a German Proto-Romanticist movement.
Variants[edit | edit source]
Goetheanism[edit | edit source]
Goetheanism or Goethean Science concerns the natural philosophy (German: Naturphilosophie "philosophy of nature") of German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Although primarily known as a literary figure, Goethe also developed a 
Phenomenological approach to natural history, an alternative to 
Enlightenment natural science, which is still debated today among scholars.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, born on August 28, 1749, in Frankfurt, Germany, was a multifaceted figure whose impact extended across literature, philosophy, and science during the Romantic era. Coming from a privileged background, Goethe received a comprehensive education in languages, literature, and sciences. He pursued law at the University of Leipzig and later in Strasbourg, where he cultivated a diverse range of interests.
In the 1770s, Goethe became associated with the Sturm und Drang movement, which emphasized intense emotion and individualism. His novel, "The Sorrows of Young Werther" (1774), catapulted him to fame. This period laid the foundation for his exploration of the human psyche and emotional experiences in his later works.
Goethe spent a significant portion of his life in Weimar, serving under the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. The Weimar years, spanning from 1775 to 1786, were marked by the creation of works such as "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship" and "Iphigenia in Tauris." This time in Weimar allowed him to develop and refine his literary and philosophical ideas.
One of the most transformative periods in Goethe's life was his Italian journey from 1786 to 1788. Immersed in Italian art, literature, and culture, he absorbed the influences that would shape his later masterpiece, "Faust." This journey also ignited his interest in classical aesthetics and provided a fresh perspective on life and art.
"Faust," Goethe's magnum opus, is a monumental work that reflects his profound insights into the human condition. Written over several decades, with Part I completed in 1808 and Part II published posthumously, "Faust" explores themes of ambition, knowledge, and the complexities of human existence. It stands as a pinnacle of German literature and a testament to Goethe's intellectual prowess.
Beyond his literary achievements, Goethe was a polymath with a keen interest in science. His work, "Theory of Colors," challenged Newtonian ideas on color and demonstrated his interdisciplinary approach to knowledge. This scientific curiosity coexisted with his literary endeavors, showcasing the breadth of his intellectual pursuits.
In the later years of his life, until his death on March 22, 1832, Goethe continued to write and engage in various projects. His influence transcended his literary works, leaving an indelible mark on German thought and culture.
Aesthetics[edit | edit source]
One central tenet of Goethe's aesthetics is the idea that art and nature are deeply intertwined. He rejected the notion that art should merely imitate nature; instead, he advocated for a more holistic understanding of the relationship between the two. In Goethe's view, the artist should not merely replicate the external features of the natural world but should strive to capture its inner essence. This emphasis on inner truth and spiritual resonance in art reflects Goethe's belief that true beauty goes beyond surface appearances.
Romanticism and Classicism[edit | edit source]
In his early years, Goethe was associated with the Sturm und Drang movement, a German literary movement characterized by a focus on strong emotion and individualism. This period was marked by Goethe's fascination with the subjective experience and the expression of intense feelings. The exploration of nature's symbolism and the celebration of personal passion were central themes in his early works, such as "The Sorrows of Young Werther."
However, as Goethe matured, his philosophical outlook underwent a significant transformation. He began to question the excesses of emotionalism and sought a more balanced and harmonious approach to art and life. This shift is evident in his later works, particularly in "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship" and "Faust," where he embraced classical ideals of order, proportion, and restraint.
One key factor in Goethe's transition to Classicism was his engagement with ancient Greek literature and philosophy. He admired the rationality and clarity of Greek art and saw in it a model for achieving a more balanced and measured aesthetic. Goethe's travels to Italy further deepened his appreciation for classical art and architecture, influencing his belief in the importance of form and structure in artistic expression.
In his essay "Winckelmann and His Age," Goethe expressed his admiration for Johann Joachim Winckelmann, a German art historian who played a pivotal role in the revival of interest in classical art. Winckelmann's emphasis on the classical ideals of beauty and proportion resonated with Goethe's evolving views, reinforcing his commitment to a more restrained and ordered artistic vision.
Despite his alignment with Classicism, Goethe did not entirely reject Romantic elements. He sought a synthesis of both traditions, emphasizing the importance of the individual's emotional experience within the framework of classical principles. This fusion is perhaps most evident in "Faust," where Goethe masterfully combined Romantic themes of striving and yearning with classical elements of structure and form.
Goethean Science[edit | edit source]
Goethe embarked on his 'adventure of reason,' commencing with the "crisis" in botany, which critiqued the mere mechanical classification-taxonomy of plant life. In this pursuit, Goethe ventured into formulating a comprehensive theory about Nature itself.
His primary concern lay in the increasing specialization in science, where the emphasis on mechanically accumulating data led to a narrowing of perspective devoid of human values and developmental aspects. The Linnaean botanic taxonomic system of his era, exemplified by the Systema naturae, symbolized this trend. Goethe perceived that the practice of rational science, solely grounded in physical-material characteristics and selected external traits, resulted in epistemic impoverishment and a diminished understanding of human knowledge.
According to Goethe, what was essential was an enhanced capacity to extract meaning from vast external data by examining it from both external-sensory angles and an internal perspective. This internal viewpoint incorporated thinking, feeling, intuition, imagination, and inspiration, contributing to conclusions drawn by the experimenter.
Even in his time, Linnaean taxonomy faced criticism from figures like Comte de Buffon, who advocated replacing mechanistic classification with a study of the interrelation of natural forces and historical change.
For Goethe, the accumulation of new knowledge was inseparable from a Geschichte des Denkens und Begreifens, a history of thinking and conceptualization. Knowledge, in his view, involved association, not merely separation.
While arranging material phenomena in a logical linear sequence remained a valid scientific method, Goethe insisted on executing it under a correct and humanistic organizing idea, grounded in nature or natural law. This organizing idea often adhered to multiple, lawful pairs of polarity.
Goethe advocated that experimenters should seek the natural, lawful organizing ideas or archetypes behind specific natural phenomena. The first phase involved immersing oneself in a living interaction with the phenomena under study, utilizing all available senses. Goethe valued "the labor of experimentation."
This approach sharply contrasted with the trend in rational Natural Science to 'abandon' nature itself, opting for the formulation of an abstract hypothesis to be tested through experiments. Goethe considered this an 'artificial experience' that detached individual manifestations from the meaningful context of the whole, as exemplified by Newton's color hypothesis.
Instead, Goethe proposed that experimenters adopt a more living, humane approach, aspiring to enter into the living essence of nature as perceived in the phenomenon under study. Success, in Goethe's terms, meant penetrating to the crucial, underlying, sensorily-invisible archetype-pattern: the Ur-phänomen. The experimenter aimed to allow the phenomena to reveal its inherent order and lawfulness, often invisible but objectively existing, not subjectively constructed by the experimenter.
Goethean Science, with its alternative value system, stood apart from Cartesian-Newtonian Science. Despite its emphasis on qualities, Goethean Science remained rigorous in experimental methodology and the matter of quantification.
In his 1792 essay titled "The experiment as mediator between subject and object," Goethe articulated an innovative philosophy of science, which guided his research endeavors. The essay emphasizes his experiential perspective, asserting that "The human being himself, to the extent he makes sound use of his senses, is the most exact physical apparatus that can exist."
In contrast to the fixed Linnaean system, akin to classical physics, whose distinctions eroded at the borders, Goethe's exploration revealed an underlying order challenging the static view of nature in Linnaean taxonomy. This taxonomy relied on artificial types, selectively emphasizing certain features while neglecting others, leading to growing confusion in classifying the expanding array of plant forms. Goethe's approach not only defied this fixed perspective but also questioned the Cartesian-Newtonian method that presumed a separation between the observer and the observed.
Goethe considered such separation a hindrance, advocating for a science where both the object and subject of observation are dynamic. Goethe envisioned a science in which "not only the object of observation changes and moves but also the subject of observation." This required an approach that embraced vitality, dynamism, and interaction, rejecting the dissociative nature of traditional scientific methodologies.
The 1970s marked a turning point when mainstream scientists began to appreciate Goethe's holistic-humanistic approach to experiments. In his study on color (Farbenlehre), Goethe challenged the notion that observers could remain devoid of theoretical context, emphasizing that every act of looking becomes an act of observation and subsequently turns into mentation and associations.
Goethe believed that science's ultimate goal was twofold: the expansion of human knowledge and the transformative evolution of the experimenter. In Goethean Science, experiments serve as mediators between natural phenomena and the experimenter, revealing insights about both. Goethe's methodology emphasizes the mutual and intimate interaction of the observer and the observed, fostering inner awareness, insight, Imagination, Intuition, and Inspiration over time.
Unlike Cartesian-Newtonian science, which confines itself to practical syllogisms, Goethean Science views the practice of science as an art. It directs practitioners toward refining their perceptions, elevating them toward Imagination, Inspiration, and Intuition throughout their scientific journey.
Epistemology[edit | edit source]
Goethe's approach to scientific inquiry, characterized by the fusion of science and art, positions experimentation as a mediator connecting the investigator and Nature. In contrast to the Cartesian-Newtonian paradigm, which delineates the expansion of knowledge as a logical and linear progression in amassing facts, Goethean Science delineates knowledge expansion through two primary facets: 1) the observation of organic transformations in natural phenomena over time, constituting a historical progression, and 2) the organic transformation of the inner life of the experimenter.
Goethe introduced two dynamic concepts, namely polarity (elaborated in his Chromatology) and logical-linear sequence (Morphology), which exhibit broad applicability across diverse domains. Central to Goethe's perspective is the comprehension of vital nature (natura naturans), a process inherently tied to perceiving impressions and evoking responses through the Gemüt, encompassing empathy and potentially compassion. In this framework, the individual effectively 'becomes what one perceives.'
In contrast to the Kantian perspective, which segregates the realm of quantity and the thing from that of quality and phenomenon, Goethe's paradigm challenges the certainty of objectively perceiving reality. His innovative mode of thinking represents a parallel scientific order—a distinctive, holistic paradigm. This alternative framework proves valuable for transcending the cognitive barriers established by Kant, where emphasis is solely placed on utilitarian ideas and conventional scientific pursuits.
Idea of Evolution[edit | edit source]
In the 1790s, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe made a significant contribution to anatomical understanding by identifying the premaxilla in humans, commonly referred to as the incisive bone. He utilized this discovery as morphological evidence supporting the interconnectedness of humanity with other mammalian species.
In his work titled "Story of My Botanical Studies" (1831), Goethe eloquently expressed his observations:
"The ever-changing display of plant forms, which I have followed for so many years, awakens increasingly within me the notion: The plant forms which surround us were not all created at some given point in time and then locked into the given form, they have been given… a felicitous mobility and plasticity allowing them to grow and adapt themselves to many different conditions in many different places."
Wertherism[edit | edit source]
Russian Goetheanism[edit | edit source]
Russian Goetheanism is a regional variant of Goetheanism.
Hamannism[edit | edit source]
Hamannism is a philosophical thought of German philosopher Johann Georg Hamann.
Herderism[edit | edit source]
Herderism is the philosophy of German philosopher, theologian, and poet Johann Gottfried von Herder. Herder is associated with Enlightenment, Sturm und Drang, and Weimar Classicism. He was a Romantic philosopher who argued that true German culture was to be discovered among the common people (das Volk) through folk songs, folk poetry, and folk dances, and through these means would the true spirit of the nation (der Volksgeist) be popularized.
Jacobianism[edit | edit source]
Jacobianism is the philosophy of Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi.
Further Information[edit | edit source]
Wikipedia[edit | edit source]
Theoreticians[edit | edit source]
- Johann Georg Hamann
- Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi
- Johann Gottfried Herder
- Johann Anton Leisewitz
- Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz
- Heinrich Leopold Wagner
- Friedrich Schiller
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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