Status Updates From Alexander von Humboldt und ...

„Their friendship could be tempestuous. […] Arago was one of the few people whom Humboldt trusted unconditionally — he could show him his fears and self-doubts. They were like 'Siamese twins', Humboldt later wrote, and their friendship was the 'joy of my life'. They were so close that Wilhelm von Humboldt became concerned about their relationship. 'You know his passion to be only with one person […]'.

„Nature was Humboldt's teacher. And the greatest lesson that nature offered was that of freedom. 'Nature is the domain of liberty,' Humboldt said, because nature's balance was created by diversity which might in turn be taken as a blueprint for political and moral truth. Everything […] had its role, and together they made the whole. Humankind was just one small part. Nature itself was a republic of freedom.“

„This variety and richness, but also the simplicity of the scientific information depicted, was unprecedented. […] The Naturgemälde showed for the first time that nature was a global force with corresponding climate zones across continents. Humboldt saw 'unity in variety'. Instead of placing plants in their taxonomic categories, he saw vegetation through the lens of climate and location […].“

„Humboldt was interested in volcanoes for two particular reasons. The first was to ascertain if they were 'local' occurrences or if they were linked subterraneously with each other. […] it was possible that they were connected through the core of the earth. Humboldt's second reason was that studying volcanoes might provide an answer to how the earth itself had been created.“

„Unlike most Europeans, Humboldt did not regard the indigenous people as barbaric, but instead was captivated by their culture, beliefs and languages. In fact, he talked about the 'barbarism of civilised man' when he saw how the local people were treated by colonists and mission-aries. When Humboldt returned to Europe, he brought with him a completely new portrayal of the so-called 'savages'.“