The Romantic Conception of Life

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"All art should become science and all science art; poetry and philosophy should be made one." This sentiment encapsulates the German Romantics' belief that art and literature could unveil meanings in nature that rational philosophy and science could not. In this comprehensive exploration, Robert J. Richards illustrates how the Romantic worldview influenced and was shaped by the lives of key figures and the evolution of nineteenth-century science. By weaving together Romantic literature, science, and philosophy, Richards provides insight into the lives of individuals such as Goethe, the Schlegel brothers, Humboldt, and the Schellings, showing how their personal experiences profoundly impacted their ideas, alongside their cultural heritage. He particularly examines how Romantic notions of the self, along with aesthetic and moral considerations, influenced scientific representations of nature. While historians have often viewed Romanticism as a minor influence on scientific thought, Richards positions it at the forefront of nineteenth-century biology, culminating in the ideas that informed Darwin's evolutionary theory. By merging the personal and poetic dimensions of philosophy and science, Richards reshapes our understanding of both Romanticism and the development of biology in that era.