Humboldt, Alexander von
Nicolaas A Rupke, Göttingen University, Göttingen, Germany
Published online: February 2012
DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0002431.pub2
Abstract
Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), German natural scientist who explored the equatorial Americas and laid the foundations
of geobotany and meteorology. Humboldt's style of scientific exploration, which was based on precision instrumentation and
the measurement of environmental parameters for the discovery of law‐like relationships on a worldwide scale, inspired a generation
of explorers and scientific travellers. Humboldt scholars from the post‐WW II period have referred to this as ‘Humboldtian
science’. Ever since the first Humboldt biographies appeared, already during his lifetime, many attempts have been made to
make him part of different and at times conflicting causes. Today he is widely recognised for his universalist approach to
natural knowledge, his cosmopolitan humanitarianism towards cultures and peoples, and his foundational contributions to ecology
and environmentalism.
Keywords: physical geography; journey of exploration; meteorology; Humboldtian science; environmentalism
Further Reading
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