Alexander von Humboldts Weltbild

Abstract

Article in German. Abstracts in German and English. The paper is divided into five sections. It begins by showing the similarity between Humboldt's world view and that of the Pythagoreans. It inquires into Humboldt's notion of nature that comprehends natura naturans and natura naturata as well. Numbers are powers of the univers. They especially occur in the 'only decisive method' that is in the method of mean values. This method makes it possible to recognize the law guiding the changes of variable quantities. The botanical arithmetic and earth magnetism provide examples. Finally the paper explains how Humboldt combined the three possible approaches to the world that is thinking, acting, and regarding by means of the notion of knowledge.

Keywords

• Alexander von Humboldt
• Eberhard Knobloch