Goethe's Way of Science: A Phenomenology of Nature (Suny Series in the Environmental and Architectural Phenomenology)

Book Description

Though best known for his superlative poetry and plays, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) also produced a sizable body of scientific work that focused on such diverse topics as plants, color, clouds, weather, and geology. Goethe's way of science is highly unusual because it seeks to draw together the intuitive awareness of art with the rigorous observation and thinking of science. Written by major scholars and practitioners of Goethean science today, this book considers the philosophical foundations of Goethe's approach and applies the method to the real world of nature, including studies of plants, animals, and the movement of water.

Part I discusses the philosophical foundations of the approach and clarifies its epistemology and methodology; Part II applies the method to the real world of nature; and Part III examines the future of Goethean science and emphasizes its great value for better understanding and caring for the natural environment.

Customer Reviews:

The practise of Goethean science today.......2000-08-04

A timely book describing the way of science practised by Goethe and still continued today through the talents of Bockemuehl, Schad and others. Thankfully Goethe's "way" has not died the seemingly natural death expected after the assault of scientific positivism/reductionism/mechanism which has been the mainstream approach associated with science since Galileo, Newton and Descarte. In fact science has come to mean this very method. Whether it is admitted or not by many scientists, they do feel a certain dimunition in the sense of life first experienced when exposed to the original dynamic ideas of science such as general relativity, evolution or the concept of the atom. This sense, well expressed by Blake's beautiful poetic lines "universe in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower" is what drew them to a scientific career in the first place and shows that scientists just as much as artists are searchers for wonder in the universe. The question remains how has this sense of wonder been eradicated from the modern scientific approach. The answer is it hasn't, not completely, investigators still feel this sense of wonder as they investigate a new phenomenon for the first time and the associated flood of ideas emanating from it. However once past this initial stage scientific investigations progress in a very methodical way which leaches the life from the initial phenomenon. Goethe initiated a science which tries to maintain this "living" sense at all stages of the investigation without the influx of total subjectivity. This book demonstrates some investigators' own contemporary scientific investigations from the growth of plants to the evolution and structure of mammals. Hopefully such expositions will be read and digested by future scientists and lead to a new revitalisation of science in a creative living way, where this very approach becomes part of the life of the scientist rather than as a separate part of his world.

The Wholeness of Nature : Goethe's Way Toward a Science of Conscious Participation in Nature

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Superb Introduction to Holistic Science
Incredible
best non-fiction book I have read

The Wholeness of Nature : Goethe's Way Toward a Science of Conscious Participation in Nature
Henri Bortoft
Manufacturer: Lindisfarne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

German | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

German | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

History, 17th & 18th Century | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0940262797

Customer Reviews:

Superb Introduction to Holistic Science.......2003-07-11

An absolutely fascinating read, at a level suitable for both professional scientists and academics but easily accessible to the layperson as well. This is essential reading for anyone with an interest in holism, holistic science and the limits of science. Bortoft provides an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of Johan Wolfgang von Goethe's approach to science, clearly showing the contemporary relevance of his entirely different way of coming to an understanding of the natural world. He underpins this analysis by his own philosophical research on the relationship between the whole and its parts.

In our daily thinking we tend to be stuck in what Bortoft calls analytic consciousness, through which we try to understand the phenomena in our world by analysing them into parts and then building them up again from those parts. In this way, the whole becomes an entity, which stands alone, albeit constituted from its parts. Goethe's way of science, however, draws on a very different conception of the whole, as being intimately entwined with its parts, in such a way that, in a sense, the whole comes into being through the parts, while at the same time the parts come into being through the whole. We can only really understand this by experiencing it and drawing on our intuitive mode of consciousness.

Bortoft shows how Goethe dwelled in the phenomena he studied to such degree that he was able to understand these phenomena, without needing to explain them. Moreover, Bortoft does an excellent job at showing how this mode of science is objective in the exact same way as conventional science is objective, in that it is verifiable by others, but dependant on a shared way of seeing the world.

Having read many parts of the book over again, I am in awe of the wholeness of this work, in the Goethean sense, so that each section forms both a part of the whole, but at the same time contains the entire work within itself. Once read as a whole, each section brings to life again the entire work, revealing each time new aspects and helping me to think afresh, with thought-provoking ideas. Striking in all this is how Bortoft has managed to bring the entire subject to life by showing so clearly how Goethe's science comes into being.

The relevance and importance of this work will no doubt increase over the years.

Incredible.......2002-02-10

I don't know when I will have the chance to sing this books praises with more details, so here I will just say the following:

This book is a masterpiece on several fronts. Here we have the best articulation yet as to why modern science must reject the healing tonic which lives in Goethe's approach. Here we have the best articulation yet of how an alternative approach to science is possible- one that is systematic and exact, yet open and participative with nature.

The methodology presented in this book is epistemologically sound, unlike the on-looker/representational epistemology that modern natural science is necessarily bound to.

This book shows us how to begin taking a step in a beautiful, true and necessary direction. more later

best non-fiction book I have read.......1999-08-13

No praise is adequate for this book with its strong unsentimental philosophical approach tempered with a relaxed style and exceptionally clear explanations of the material. It opens up a completely new way of viewing and doing science one not easily acceptable to a rigid interpretaion as it stands today. Very broad in its scope discussing very deeply the idea of world view, it is an essential read for any scientist even applied mathematicians such as myself. Unlike other books in the same vein eg metaphysical etc, in whose domain it does not belong, there are no fantastical explanations with no grounding but rather well researched arguments in favour of an almost a Socratic perspective, refering here to Socrates's character and life rather than Plato's use of him in his arguments. Recommended for all open minded readers and those who would like to have theirs opened.

Product Description

Book Description

Essential reading before, during, and after your journey, this superbly crafted handbook offers the most in-depth information available on the Dominican Republic. Award-winning novelist Gaylord Dold blends rich narrative with down-to-earth travel advice to bring you advice on activities, fascinating cultural and historical sidebars, up-to-date restaurant and hotel reviews, and much more.

Customer Reviews:

Gracias por nada.......2005-09-26

I wrote the first and second editions of Lonely Planet's guidebook to the Dominican Republic. While working on them, I traveled all over the DR. I adhered very closely to this rule: If I didn't visit a place, I didn't write about it. Period. No ifs, ands or buts. As any good guidebook writer would, I traveled with competing guidebooks to make certain I didn't overlook anything the competition reported on. If, for example, the competition mentioned a terrific restaurant on the outskirts of a remote town, I'd be sure to check it out; I simply didn't want my readers to miss out on anything, especially not something appearing in another guidebook. It was mostly an issue of pride, but I also felt people who bought my guidebook deserved the best work I could do. So I left no stone unturned. As a result, many business owners (particularly hotel owners) often told me, "You're the first guidebook writer that's ever been here." Sometimes I'd point to a "review" appearing in another guidebook. More times than not, I'd be told, "No, that person has never been here. I'd know it." I didn't doubt them then and I don't doubt them now, because it was usually in small, hard-to-reach or out-of-the-way places where this dialog occurred. Like many guidebook writers, I left the guidebook business soon after 9/11 -- when people weren't traveling and guidebook sales plummeted. In the years that followed, I moved on to bigger and better things, but I'd always meant to comment upon this book (the first edition, anyway) in a public forum. It was, quite simply, a piece of garbage. And if the first edition stank to high Heaven, why would the second edition be any better? Either you do good work, or you don't. If I got a dollar every time I read an inaccuracy in the Moon book, I'd be driving a Porsche today. I'm sure my book is off bookshelves these days. More than likely someone is working on the fifth edition of Lonely Planet's DR & Haiti. I'm not trying to boost the sales of my book; Lonely Planet doesn't pay royalties, anyway. I just thought anyone looking to purchase a good guidebook to the Dominican Republic ought to know my thoughts about this one. It did, and likely does, guidebook writers the world over a profound disservice. For legal reasons, I prefer using "Moving On" instead of my real name. But I am the real deal.

Gracias, Gaylord Dold!.......2001-10-18

Thank you for a great guidebook. I have traveled to the Dominican Republic a few times and am now planning another trip for next year, so I just bought the new version of this book. When I was in the Dominican before, this was the best guide I used--it's more than just basic information plugged into a guidebook format. It's kind of like reading a novel. I really liked his essay on "The Essence of the Dominican Republic" before the introduction--it gives you a real sense of what you will experience when you get there. Gaylord Dold obviously knows a great deal about the Dominican--he spends a lot of time on things like history and people, which is good if you have never been there and are interested in getting familiar with the culture instead of just traveling around. And he's really thorough with the practical stuff too and there are tons of choices of places to eat and sleep. I always use this book when deciding where to stay on my trips and have found the hotel info to be dependable. That said, I've used other books from the Moon series (Costa Rica, Ecuador) and I really like them. They're all really big on background info but also they give you a good variety of choices--not just backpacker stuff or places that are too expensive.

Filled With Mistakes.......2000-10-09

I
drove a car around three-quarters of the DR, using this book every
step of the way for nearly the entire trip. But many times the author
just wrote a lot of nonsense. Places he describes aren't anything like
they really are, like he just asked other people to describe them and
wrote what he heard from people who forgot a lot and gave him bad
information. This book is no good.

Disappointing with many inaccuracies.......1999-04-22

I'm sorry to say that after a month-long travel through the Dominican Republic, I have to agree with the previous negative reviewer, in that the book is full of inaccuracies and it seems obvious that the author didn't travel to many of the places he writes about. Also, the book seems to derive an awful lot of its material from another book on the Dominican Republic called Adventure Guide. Also, the author seemed overly scared of remote areas, especially around Haiti. It's more a book for older folk who are into golf courses and cigars, not for someone who wants to experience the country and really wander around and meet people. I usually do like the Moon series, though. Don't let this book dissuade you from the usually very competent Moon books.

Great Book! Much more than a tourist guide, actually useful.......1999-04-01

I really enjoyed this book. It has lots of valuable cultural information and great research. While there are not snow capped mountains in the DR, it is a great book. Anyone looking at going to the DR to visit or live consider reading this book.

Average customer rating:

An excellent resource for children

California Facts and Symbols
Emily McAuliffe
Manufacturer: Franklin Watts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

State & Local | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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California Symbols & Facts Projects: 30 Cool, Activities, Crafts, Experiments & More for Kids to Do to Learn About Your State (California Experience)

ASIN: 0531115488

Customer Reviews:

An excellent resource for children.......2003-05-24

This book is easy to read, the pictures are colorful, and all pertinent information is covered. Even though I have lived in the state nearly all my life, this little hardback book showed me things I never knew. It reinforced prelearned knowledge and expanded my knowledge. I helped a 2nd grader who was doing a research project, and found this particular book met all the requirements, the pictures were accurate and colorful and the information excellent. I would highly recommend this author for all her states' information-type books.

Francoise Gilot, emblems and symbols: March 16 through May 2, 1982, Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, California : June 25 through August 1, 1982, Oklahoma Art Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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Francoise Gilot, emblems and symbols: March 16 through May 2, 1982, Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, California : June 25 through August 1, 1982, Oklahoma Art Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Francoise Gilot
Manufacturer: The Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006E9Q78

The mystic test book, or, The magic of the cards: Giving the mystic meaning of these wonderful and ancient emblems in their relationship to the heavenly bodies

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The mystic test book, or, The magic of the cards: Giving the mystic meaning of these wonderful and ancient emblems in their relationship to the heavenly bodies
Olney H Richmond
Manufacturer: Health Research
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007HNHBK

America's destiny: A new order of the ages, based on the message of the Great Seal

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America's destiny: A new order of the ages, based on the message of the Great Seal
Theodore Heline
Manufacturer: New Age Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007I2G52

Answering questions about desert tortoises: A guide for people who work with the public in California

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Answering questions about desert tortoises: A guide for people who work with the public in California
Kristin H Berry
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006OY98Y

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California emblems
Matthew F Vessel
Manufacturer: Fearon Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Politics & Government | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006BN4JM

The science story of our California emblems

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The science story of our California emblems
Matthew F Vessel
Manufacturer: Fearon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007FYWL6

Book Description

In the relatively short period since Cryptosporidium was recognised as a human pathogen, and that it could be transmitted in water as well as directly between animals and people, it has been the subject of intense investigations. Its status as an opportunistic pathogen, especially in AIDS patients, and the lack of effective anti-cryptosporidial drugs have served to emphasise the public health importance of this organism. This has to some extent overshadowed the fact that Cryptosporidium is also an important pathogen of domestic animals and wildlife.

In recent years, the application of molecular biology and culture techniques have had an enormous impact on our understanding of the aetiological agents of cryptosporidial infections and our ability to study the causative agents in the laboratory. As a consequence, a wealth of information and novel data has been produced during the last 3-4 years, particularly in the areas of taxonomy, biology, pathogenesis, epidemiology - particularly zoonotic and water borne transmission, and treatment.

It is thus very timely to bring together in this book the international research community involved to review the major advances in research and identify the important research priorities for the future, thus enabling as wide an audience as possible to benefit from and share in this comprehensive look at Cryptosporidium and cryptosporidiosis.

Book Description

The new series edited by the "Jubiläumsstiftung of the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien” aims at presenting results of interdisciplinary research conducted at one of the largest business schools in Europe. Volumes 1 and 2 focus on recent results gained by a group of mathematicians and marketing scientists. It is a unique feature that the writing style adopted for this series makes the findings accessible for members of both research communities. It is also targeted to practitioners in marketing management with an interest in optimally exploiting their consumer survey and panel data. Market segmentation and product positioning are major strategic issues in a company’s marketing decision making. The analytical tools highlighted in the Foundations’ and Applications’ Volumes are new instruments for exploratory and inferential market structure analysis based on consumer brand perceptions and choice. Unlike the majority of contemporary marketing modeling these methods operate nonparametrically thus avoiding the rigorous assumptions which are rarely satisfied by real-world data.

Book Description

To this tantalizing nonfiction collection Martin Amis brings the same megawatt wit, wickedly acute perception, and ebullient wordplay that characterize his novels. He encompasses the full range of contemporary politics and culture (high and low) while also traveling to China for soccer with Elton John and to London's darts-crazy pubs in search of the perfect throw. Throughout, he offers razor-sharp takes on such subjects as:

American politics: "If history is a nightmare from which we are trying to awake, then the Reagan era can be seen as an eight-year blackout. Numb, pale, unhealthily dreamless: eight years of Do Not Disturb."

Chess: "Nowhere in sport, perhaps in human activity, is the gap between the tryer and the expert so astronomical.... My chances of a chess brilliancy are the 'chances' of a lab chimp and a type writer producing King Lear."

Customer Reviews:

neat.......2003-03-17

a neat rebuttal to the argument that journalism is prose that's only meant to be read once, this book demands frequent consultation. i spent a lot of it wondering how typical Amis is of his generation. by his late twenties, he's on amicable terms with sex, drugs and rock and roll, but is still mildly scandalised by naked sunbathing and 'too old' to enjoy a Rolling Stones concert (which is wittily trashed). in a postscript, we find that an older Amis isn't bothered by naked sunbathing, so something's changed there then. he's very worried about nuclear weapons and seems to spend a lot of time morbidly brooding over them. later generations barely give them a thought, i think - or maybe they are a constant presence in the subconscious mind, underpinning the pessimism of the age. he's in touch with his macho feelings - the flush of the poker victory and the snooker conquest - in touch with them enough to amusingly undermine them. for Amis, winning at sport matters, but not so much that he doesn't have time to acknowledge his own (relative) [awkwardness] at sport - check out some of those 'live at the Crucible' break totals. interviews with other writers always contain a refreshingly large concentration on the writer's work - in contrast to the spirit of the age, for Amis, it's the writer's work that matters, not his private life. overall, Amis's cool, observant voice drags journalism out of skim-reading terrain and into the realm of serious thought. anyone who enjoys intelligent, urbane, amusing conversation will enjoy this book.

Talent to Spare.......1999-05-02

If you are a young and struggling writer and you want to learn how to be "deep" without coming as pretentious (really the only challenge offered by postmodernism), read these charming, effortless and brilliant essays. Amis redefines the word "wit" for a tired era.

Good Subway Reading.......1999-04-30

Moderately amusing collection of 33 articles culled from various magazines and newspapers. Many of these are interviews with authors like John Updike, Salman Rushdie, and other such literary luminaries. While these are likely of interest to the well-read, I found the more entertaining essays to be the non-interviews. In this vein are those railing on Republican politics, the darts scene, judging a short story competition, the Frankfurt Book Fair, an English soccer team's tour of China, and playing pool with a good friend. The essays are all fairly short, so it's a good book to pick up and put down constantly.

Visiting Mrs. Nabokov & Other Excursions

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Visiting Mrs. Nabokov & Other Excursions
Martin Amis
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0517158590
Release Date: 1995-11-15

Visiting Mrs Nabokov and Other Excursions

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Visiting Mrs Nabokov and Other Excursions
Martin AMIS
Manufacturer: Jonathan Cape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPEOYE

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