the invention of nature alexander von humboldt's new world

the invention of nature alexander von humboldt

Brilliantly researched and stunningly written, The Invention of Nature reveals the myriad ways in which Humboldt’s ideas form the foundation of modern environmentalism-and reminds us why they are as prescient and vital as ever. In this illuminating biography, Andrea Wulf brings Humboldt’s extraordinary life back into focus: his prediction of human-induced climate change his daring expeditions to the highest peaks of South America and to the anthrax-infected steppes of Siberia his relationships with iconic figures, including Simón Bolívar and Thomas Jefferson and the lasting influence of his writings on Darwin, Wordsworth, Goethe, Muir, Thoreau, and many others. And yet the man has been all but forgotten. Brilliantly researched and stunningly written, The Invention of Nature reveals the myriad ways in which Humboldt’s ideas form the foundation of modern environmentalismand reminds us why they are as prescient and vital as ever.

In North America, Humboldt’s name still graces towns, counties, parks, bays, lakes, mountains, and a river. Among his most revolutionary ideas was a radical conception of nature as a complex and interconnected global force that does not exist for the use of humankind alone. Among his most revolutionary ideas was a radical conception of nature as a complex and interconnected global force that does not exist for the use of humankind.

Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was the most famous scientist of his age, a visionary German naturalist and polymath whose discoveries forever changed the way we understand the natural world.

The invention of nature alexander von humboldt's new world