Universalist and father of the theorie of metamorphosis

Johann Wolfgang Goethe is on 28 August 1749 in Frankfurt for the world. He is the first child of parents Johann Casper and Catharina Elisabeth Goethe.

Through his father he received a cosmopolitan education. He learns to play the piano, riding and fencing. He is taught by private tutors in Latin, Italian, English, Hebrew and math. As a 16 year old he began studying law in Leipzig. But instead of studying law, he focuses more on the "belles lettres".

After completing his studies in 1772 Goethe is a lawyer in Frankfurt. But he devotes itself mainly to the literary work: It provides the drama "Götz von Berlichingen. With this work, he becomes a co-founder of the "Sturm und Drang in Germany.

1774 published the novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther," in which he writes his own love suffering of the soul. The novel is such a success that Goethe from now one of the most famous writers in Germany.

At the invitation of Prince Carl August 1776 Goethe traveled to Weimar, where he enters the government service and worked as a secret Counselor. At the court of Duchess Anna Amalia he meets the Lady Charlotte von Stein. Charlotte von Stein has a great influence on Goethe, in her presence, he learns to be moderate. For ten years, joining the two an intimate relationship. This is reflected especially in the more than 1,700 letters to his "soul mate" expression. In 1779 Goethe is privy and took over the management of various Commissions.

In recognition of his achievements in government service he receives 1782 the nobility, the Duke also gives him the house at Frauenplan, where Goethe lived until his death. During these years Goethe began intensively engaged with the science. In his morphological and anatomical studies, Goethe discovered the intermaxillary 1784 on the human skull, a discovery that documented the close relationship of man with animals.

On his trip to Italy (1786-88) Goethe has varied scientific studies on rocks and plants. After his return in 1790 Goethe "The Metamorphosis of Plants" published.

As in 1788 returns from his trip to Italy he met the simple girl Christiane Vulpius. He breaks his connection with Charlotte von Stein and start a common law marriage with Christiane Vulpius. Professionally, he focuses on the artistic and scientific institutions in Weimar and Jena, and taking on more and more cultural activities. Thus, the "Court Theater, whose general manager he has since 1792, under his leadership, the most prestigious German stage. Since the program's structure is modern and varied, so that Goethe speaks to a large audience.

From 1795 Goethe and Schiller are working closely together. This creative period of 10 years later became known as "Weimar Classicism." In this decade, major works appeared, such as the ballads of the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" and the "treasure hunter" and the play "Herman and Dorothea." When Schiller died in 1805, is thus the time of the classical end. The following year Goethe married Christiane Vulpius after he was romantically involved with her for 18 years and she already had several children together.

Through the prism of a friend Goethe noticed the colorful gradients. Fascinated by his observations, he leads by further experiments and creates a circle. In his experiments, he discovered weaknesses in Newton's theory. He feels that Newton's description of light is wrong. On the publication of his Theory of Colors in 1810, the reactions of the scientists is low. Since his color studies, was very keen Goethe, Goethe is profoundly disappointed by the lack of reaction.

With the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo is Saxe-Weimar-Eisennach to Grossherzogstum. Thus Goethe receives the management of all institutions of the duchy, and Culture Minister. After 23 years seems to 1831, the second part of the drama "Faust". It is the last work which Goethe ended.

Goethe died on 22 March 1832 after a brief illness in Weimar. His mortal remains were on 26 March buried in the royal crypt.

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In his last two years (1830 and 1832) Goethe wrote a famous treatise on the controversy that erupted in the French Academy was at a presentation held by Geoffrey de St. Hilaire. This last work of Goethe had for him a central role, which may show the following anecdote: Frédéric Soret Goethe visited on 2 August 1830, when just get the news about the July Revolution in Weimar. "Well, he called out to me what you think of this great event?" The volcano has erupted, everything is in flames, and it is also not a negotiated behind closed doors! " In Goethe does not mind talking about the July Revolution. Goethe has witnessed the negotiations at the Academie in Paris as a landmark in the history of ideas, which he feels Geoffroy St. Hilaire as an ally against the rigid ideas of Georges Cuvier, and in favor of plasticity, metamorphosis.

Even with his work on the Metamorphosis of Plants (1790) Goethe took up the basic ideas of the theory of evolution and organic plasticity detected in the plant kingdom. Goethe shows in this paper that the various elements can be regarded as the flower metamorphoses of leaf organ.

Goethe has achieved something similar with his theory of vortices (1824), in which he tries to show that the cranium of vertebrate animals consists of Wirbelmetamorphosen. This theory is discussed today under the name of Goethe Onkensche vortex theory.

Decidedly Goethe takes for the teaching of evolution and the evolutionary relationship of all living things in his party research on the premaxilla (1784). The two premaxillae bear in mammals, the four upper incisors. Anatomists from the time of Goethe and previously thought in the absence of the paired premaxillae occupy the most important difference between animals and humans can too. By proving the Os incisivi humans Goethe clearly demonstrates the relationship between man and mammals and represents the people as not near but in the range of organisms.

Metamorphosis of the animals (1795)

Two further texts of Goethe

Eine innere ursprüngliche Gemeinschaft liegt aller Organisation zugrunde; die Verschiedenheit der Gestalten dagegen entspringt aus den notwendigen Beziehungsverhältnissen zur Aussenwelt, und man darf daher eine ursprüngliche, gleichzeitige Verschiedenheit und eine unaufhaltsam fortschreitende Umbildung mit Recht annehmen, um die ebenso konstanten als abweichenden Erscheinungen begreifen zu können.
Dies also hätten wir gewonnen, ungescheut behaupten zu dürfen: dass alle vollkommnern organischen Naturen, worunter wir Fische, Amphibien, Vögel, Säugetiere und an der Spitze der letzten den Menschen sehen, alle nach einem Urbilde geformt seien, das nur in seinen sehr beständigen Teilen mehr oder weniger hin- und herweicht, und sich noch täglich durch Fortpflanzung aus- und umbildet.

The Work

"Sturm und Drang"

The Age Work