![]() His key scientific insight was to see nature as an interconnected web, a system, rather than a menagerie of animals created somewhat arbitrarily by God. This was one of his bones of contention with his American friends. Humboldt was a bit of a revolutionary at heart, looking for the liberation of countries, and also of slaves. On this South American trip he made a huge number of observations across the natural and social sciences and was sought after by the newly formed US government as the Spanish colonies started to gain independence. He made a four year journey to South America in 1800 which he reported (in part) in his book Personal Narratives, which were highly influential – inspiring Charles Darwin amongst many others. He was a naturalist of a Romantic tendency, born into an aristocratic family, giving him access to the Prussian court. The year in which On the Origin of Species was published. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf is subtitled The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt – this is his biography.Īlexander von Humboldt was born in Berlin in 1769, he died in 1859. ![]()
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