Alexander von Humboldt measured everything that came in his way. Although some of his discoveries are outdated today, but his holistic approach has much in common with our current understanding of the world community.
There is hardly any other name, the common is Humboldt as the Name. Universities, schools, ships, animals, plant species and two asteroids have been named after the famous German Explorer. His Name has also been used to sell everything from sewing machines to cigars.
Alexander von Humboldt was revered not always so. After his death in 1859, his reputation suffered. During the First world war, when all Germans in the Western world had a bad reputation, disappeared also the Name of Humboldt is almost completely from the public consciousness.
Today – 250 years after his birth – is Humboldt again modern. With his name now new products are sold. There are numerous new books about him. And in Berlin, a Museum in the renovated city Palace will be opened this year, maybe the “Humboldt Forum”,,.
The Prussian Explorer, author, adventurer and polymath, is today considered to be high, also due to its interdisciplinary, for which he was criticized for many decades approach. When Humboldt died, it was for scientists to be important to specialize and to classify the research areas. According to the then common view, could only lead an in-depth understanding in a single research discipline to new insights, everything else seemed amateurish.
Scientists, explorers, and dreamers: Alexander von Humboldt
Today, we are confronted with problems that in Working on research fields, interdisciplinary Work, require. Global warming can not understand a scientist, if he only examines individual operations. All organisms, geological phenomena, chemical factors and human Action should be considered as a Whole.
Humboldt has greatly helped people to understand the earth as a dynamic, complex System. The Humboldt’s way of thinking is an approach that combines the exact data, personal observations, and a holistic understanding of nature.
A global view
Humboldt left behind in addition to this interdisciplinary approach to other important principles for future scientists. His Credo was: do not be afraid of new technologies. Uses graphics to explain complicated issues. Accepted, that all Knowledge is incomplete. Equal treatment of all people.
What is today, of course, had learning Humboldt, the science at the time, for the first time as a principle is introduced, and researchers are working together instead of alone.
Comparison of Humboldt’s Chimborazo of 1802 with today’s reality
Humboldt has also left Concrete, such as his diaries, publications, and the enormous data amount, which he had worn during his lifetime, together. Only recently, scientists took advantage of his measurements of the Ecuadorian volcano, Chimborazo, which was once considered the highest mountain in the world, to find out how the mountain in the last 210 years has changed.
With Humboldt’s records for the plants, the geography, they studied also how much biodiversity is already gone as a result of climate change and the spread of agriculture.
For example, the glaciers of Chimborazo to 450 meters has decreased, and plants to settle today, up to 500 meters higher on the mountain, as this was still during the times of Humboldt, the case.
Humboldt would have been thrilled with this project. He had always been in favour of, to share research results, and he worked with other scientists. Country borders, state citizenship, or language, were for him no obstacles – on the contrary.
He was the Central unifying point in a global network. With him, communicated to researchers across great distances and many years.
The natural map
But before anyone got to see his data, worked Humboldt itself by the extensive mountain of information. He created infographics to explain where the plants grew. He was the first who signed the climate zones by isotherm characteristic. The wavy lines connecting points of equal temperature and still today on weather maps are used.
Science, geography and art: One of Humboldt’s graphic representations of the various plants on the island of Tenerife shows
He translated hundreds of pages of his notes in a number of easy-to-understand graphics. In collaboration with some of the best artists of his time, Humboldt created new explanations for natural phenomena, which were also able to understand the layman at a glance.
Some of the graphics and illustrations are so detailed that their real meaning has not yet been unraveled completely. Others have become classics of the science, and now hang on the walls in museums. Almost all of the show, as Humboldt saw the world: Vertically, from the top of the highest mountain down to the deepest mines.
Respect for all
Humboldt was one of the most innovative cartographers of his time. Detailed maps of South America, Cuba and Mexico contributed to the self-consciousness of the people living there. The accurate representations of set concrete boundaries, which could not be challenged. In this way, the countries received a Form, just before many of them independent. Today Humboldt’s traces to each South America map are visible.
Video 10 view:22 Share
In Humboldt’s footsteps: slavery – the greatest of all Evils
Facebook Twitter google+ send Tumblr VZ Xing Newsvine Digg
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3LfP4
Stage #5: slavery – the greatest of all Evils
The indigenous population of the countries traveled to Humboldt and researched, a he referred to it frequently in his work. The slavery he condemned in the strongest terms. She was “without a doubt, the greatest of all the Evils which have tormented mankind.”
In his eyes all people were equal. Humboldt showed that the ancient civilizations of the New world were on the same level with those in Europe, Africa or Asia. Also this is the reason why Alejandro de Humboldt enjoys, for two centuries, a high Reputation in South America.
Even today, Alexander von Humboldt inspires people rights activists. “He fought against social injustices such as slavery and against inhumane working conditions in the Mexican mines. This is comparable with today’s problems such as human trafficking, the exploitative Operated and the gray working conditions of many undocumented immigrants in the US,” says Vera Kutzinski, Director of the “Alexander von Humboldt in English”project and Professor at the Vanderbilt University in the U.S. state of Tennessee.
Humboldt has taken these representations of costumes Mexican painter Montezuma’s times in his book, “Vue des Cordilliéres et monuments des peuples indigénes de l’Amerique” from 1810
You never stop learning
In our fast-paced interactive binding that Humboldt’s work was not a completed product, writes Vera Kutzinski. Humboldt was always important, the current state of research to take into account as soon as possible in his projects, and he emphasized often that his own publications were only preliminary results.
He did not hesitate to correct their own errors, or to be an inspiration for other researchers. Humboldt, a diving Board for generations of scientists, should follow him and his research continues to operate, was. How about Charles Darwin, published a few months after Humboldt’s death, his publication “On the origin of species”.
“He insisted that Knowledge is always incomplete, and that the learning process never stops, makes Humboldt a explicit difference between Consuming information and data, and to the actual Knowledge of a thing,” says Vera Kutzinski.
Although Humboldt had in particular an impact on South America, he is known all over the world
A true Inspiration
Humboldt, however, designate as an inapproachable genius, would be wrong, says Andreas W. Daum, author of a new book about the researcher. “We can understand Humboldt is better, if we get him from that pedestal,” says Daum. “We learn more about ourselves and about Humboldt, if we worship him not as a superhuman demi-God. If we perceive Humboldt as a people of this world, we recognize that we live in a world in which everything is connected.”
Even without the hero worship is clear: the Humboldt one of the first world citizens, neither national nor ethnic boundaries, much meant. Born to Prussian traveled through four continents, he lived for decades in Paris, he spoke several languages and he was able to write in at least three languages. Humboldt worked hard, he shared financially in the results of his research freely with others, and supported young scientists, even if he could barely afford. He was not afraid to make mistakes, to self-correct, or to change his mind.
Alexander von Humboldt advocated for the rights of others, and he has dedicated his life to science. He has shown what is possible if one has dreams, his goals, pursues, and at the same time in the fullest is living. Humboldt is just as relevant today as already long not more.
Video 08 view:31
In Humboldt’s footsteps: Surveying the new world
Facebook Twitter google+ send Tumblr VZ Xing Newsvine Digg
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3LfMx