Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Universalist and father of the theorie of metamorphosis
Johann Wolfgang Goethe came on 28 August 1749 into Frankfurt to the world. It was the first child of parents Johann Casper and Catharina Elizabeth Goethe. By its father it received weltmännische training. Thus he learned piano plays, riding and fencing. It was informed by private teachers in latin, Italian, English, Hebrew and in mathematics. As 16 year old it begins law studies in Leipzig. But instead of with the study it is occupied more with “the beautiful sciences”.
After the conclusion of his study in the year 1772 Goethe becomes an attorney in Frankfurt. But it dedicates itself more to the dichterischen work, then develops the drama “Götz of Berlichingen”. With this work it became the joint founder “storm and urge” in Germany. 1774 appear the novel “suffering recent value ago” in which it its own dear suffering of the soul are written. The novel becomes such a success that Goethe from now counts at to the most well-known authors in Germany. On invitation of the hereditary prince Carl August Goethe tears after 1776 Weimar. Weimar Goethe occurs the government service and works as secret Legationsrat. At the yard of duchess Anna Amalia he becomes acquainted with the yard lady Charlotte of stone. Charlotte of stone has large influence on Goethe, in its present learns itself it to moderate. Long the two an intimate relationship connects ten years. This comes particularly in over 1700 the letters to its “soul friend” to the expression. In the year 1779 Goethe becomes secret advice and transfers the line of different clerk ions.
As acknowledgment of its earnings/services in the government service it receives the aristocracy diploma to 1782, in addition the duke gave the house at the woman plan it, where Goethe up to its death lived. In these years began Goethe with the natural science to concern itself intensively. With his intensive morphologic-anatomical studies Goethe 1784 discovers the Zwischenkieferknochen at the human head, a discovery, which documents the close relationship of humans with the animals.
On his Italy journey (1786-88) operates Goethe increases scientific studies at rocks and plants. After his return Goethe with Charlotte of stone breaks and begins its partnership with the simple girl Christiane Vulpius. Goethe publishes the metamorphosis of the plant 1790.
As Goethe 1788 of its Italy journey becomes acquainted with it returns Christiane Vulpius and to love. It vocationally concentrates on the artistic and scientific institutes in Weimar and Jena, here takes over itself it more and more cultural tasks. Thus the “yard theatre”, whose general manager is he since 1792, becomes under its line the most outstanding German-language stage. Because the organization of the program modern and varied is addresses Goethe thereby a large public.
Starting from 1795 Goethe and Schiller co-operate closely. This creative period of 10 years was designated later than “Weimar classical period”. In this decade as important works developed, as the Balladen the “magician's apprentice” and the “treasure graves” as well as the piece of “Herman and Dorothea”. When Schiller dies 1805, thereby also the time goes the classical period to end. In the following year Goethe marries its Christiane Vulpius after it 18 years long with it was associated and they had several common children.
By the prism of a friend Goethe observed his environment and noticed thereby multicolored color processes. Fascinated by its observations, he accomplished further attempts and provided a Farbkreis. With its attempts he discovered weaknesses in Newton's theory. It felt that Newton's description of the light was wrong. With the appearance of his chromatics in the year 1810 the reactions of the scientists were small. Since chromatics Goethe was much because of the heart, Goethe was deeply disappointed.
With the defeat Napoleon with Waterloo becomes Saxonia Weimar iron after Grossherzogstum. Thus Goethe received the line over all Kultusinstitute of the Herzogstums and becomes a Minister of State. After 23 years 1831 appears the second part of the drama “fist”. It is terminated the last work Goethe. It dies to 22. March 1832 after a short illness in Weimar. Its mortal remnants became to 26. March in prince-close-calls buried.
In his last both years (1830 and 1832) Goethe wrote a paper over the famous controversy, which had broken out in the French academy on the occasion of a lecture of Geoffroy de St. Hilaire. This last writing of Goethe had a central meaning, which may show the following anecdote for it: Frédéric Soret visits Goethe on 2 August 1830, when the straight messages arrive over the July revolution after Weimar. “Now? did he call me against, what you think from this large occurence? The volcano came to the outbreak; everything is on fire, and it is not furthermore a negotiation with closed doors!” Goethe spoke mind you not of the July revolution. Goethe experienced the negotiations in the Académie in Paris as boundary stone in the history of the ideas, whereby he felt Geoffroy de St. Hilaire as allied one against the rigid ideas of Georges Cuvier and in favor of of plasticity, metamorphosis.
Already with its work over the metamorphosis of the plant (1790) Goethe took up the basic idea of the evolution teachings and proved organic plasticity in the Pflanzenreich. Goethe shows in this paper that the different members of the bloom can be understood as metamorphosis of the sheet organ.
Something something similar reached Goethe with its eddy theory (1824) to show in it tried that the head of vertebrate animals consists of eddy metamorphosis. This theory is discussed this very day under the name Goethe Onken eddy theory.
Decidedly Goethe for the evolution teachings and the evolutive relationship of all organisms takes a party with his investigations over the Zwischenkieferknochen (1784). The two Zwischenkieferknochen carry the four upper Schneidezähne with the mammals. Anatomen from Goethe's time and believed before to be able to occupy the most important difference between animal and humans in the absence of the Zwischenkieferknochen in pairs. With the proof of the OS incisivi Goethe occupied clearly the relationship of humans with the mammals and placed humans into the number of the organisms.
Metamorphosis of the animals (1795)
...
Zweck sein selbst ist jegliches Tier, vollkommen entspringt es
Aus dem Schoss der Natur und zeugt vollkommene Kinder.
Alle Glieder bilden sich aus nach ewgen Gesetzen,
Und die seltenste Form bewahrt im Geheimen das Urbild.
So ist jeglicher Mund geschickt, die Speise zu fassen,
Welche dem Körper gebührt, es sei nun schwächlich und zahnlos
Oder mächtig der Kiefer gezähnt, in jeglichem Falle
Fördert ein schicklich Organ den übrigen Gliedern die Nahrung.
Auch bewegt sich jeglicher Fuss, der lange, der kurze,
Ganz harmonisch zum Sinne des Tiers und seinem Bedürfnis.
So ist jedem der Kinder die volle, reine Gesundheit
Von der Mutter bestimmt: denn alle lebendigen Glieder
Widersprechen sich nie und wirken alle zum Leben.
Also bestimmt die Gestalt die Lebensweise des Tieres,
Und die Weise zu leben, sie wirkt auf alle Gestalten
Mächtig zurück. So zeigt sich fest die geordnete Bildung,
Welche zum Wechsel sich neigt durch äusserlich wirkende Wesen.
Doch im Innern befindet die Kraft der edlern Geschöpfe
Sich im heiligen Kreise lebendiger Bildung beschlossen.
Diese Grenzen erweitert kein Gott, es ehrt die Natur sie:
Denn nur also beschränkt war je das Vollkommene möglich.
...
Two further texts of Goethe
Eine innere ursprüngliche Gemeinschaft liegt aller Organisation zugrunde; die Verschiedenheit der Gestalten dagegen entspringt aus den notwendigen Beziehungsverhältnissen zur Aussenwelt, und man darf daher eine ursprüngliche, gleichzeitige Verschiedenheit und eine unaufhaltsam fortschreitende Umbildung mit Recht annehmen, um die ebenso konstanten als abweichenden Erscheinungen begreifen zu können.
Dies also hätten wir gewonnen, ungescheut behaupten zu dürfen: dass alle vollkommnern organischen Naturen, worunter wir Fische, Amphibien, Vögel, Säugetiere und an der Spitze der letzten den Menschen sehen, alle nach einem Urbilde geformt seien, das nur in seinen sehr beständigen Teilen mehr oder weniger hin- und herweicht, und sich noch täglich durch Fortpflanzung aus- und umbildet.
The Work
"Sturm und Drang"
Lyrik
Götz von Berlichingen (1771/73)
Clavigo (1774)
Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (1774/87)
Urfaust (um 1774)
Stella (1776)
Wilhelm Meisters theatralische Sendung (1777/1911)
Weimarer Klassik
Iphigenie auf Tauris (1779/87)
Egmont (1774/88)
Torquato Tasso (1780/90)
Über den Zwischenkiefer (1784/1831)
Faust, ein Fragment (1788/90)
Die Metamorphose der Pflanzen (1790)
Reineke Fuchs (1794)
Römische Elegien (1795)
Venetianische Epigramme (1795)
Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre (1795/96)
Hermann und Dorothea (1797)
Balladen (1797)
Faust. Der Tragödie erster Teil (1797/1806)
Die natürliche Tochter (1804)
Achilleis (1808)
Die Wahlverwandtschaften (1809)
Zur Farbenlehre (1810)
Pandora (1810)
The Age Work
Aus meinem Leben. Dichtung und Wahrheit (1813/33)
Sonette (1815)
Des Epimenides Erwachen (1815)
West-östlicher Divan (1819)
Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre (1821/1829)
Die Campagne in Frankreich (1822)
Trilogie der Leidenschaft (1823/1829)
Dornburger Lieder (1828)
Italienische Reise (1829)
Über die Spiraltendenz der Vegetation (1829/31)
Faust. Der Tragödie zweiter Teil (1831/33)
