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The Invention of Nature summary

Name: The Invention of Nature
Rating: 4.6 (47 reviews)
Author: Andrea Wulf

Andrea Wulf

Alexander von Humboldt’s New World

4.6 (47 ratings)

26 mins

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Biographies Natural Sciences General Knowledge Plants & Trees

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The Invention of Nature
Summary of 11 key ideas

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What’s in it for me? Get to know Alexander von Humboldt – the great nature discoverer.

Who invented nature? Well, obviously no human can claim to have done that – not even Alexander von Humboldt. But if we talk about who created the human vision of nature as something understandable and able to be categorized, then von Humboldt is certainly a key candidate.

That’s what these blinks are all about – the invention of the idea of nature. They provide you with great insights into Alexander von Humboldt, ranging from his personal life to the detailed observations and descriptions that he made on his grand voyages at the dawn of the nineteenth century, in particular through South America.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

why Humboldt – and Goethe – considered science and poetry to be interconnected;
why he was so fascinated by volcanoes; and
how Humboldt was ahead of his time in explaining how human actions could harm nature.

From an early age, Alexander von Humboldt had a longing to see the world.

Let’s travel back in time to meet the adventurous explorer, Alexander von Humboldt. He was born to a respected and aristocratic Prussian family on 14 September 1769. His father was an advisor to King Wilhelm III, and his mother came from a wealthy manufacturing background.

Alexander had one brother, Wilhelm, who was two years older than he was. Unfortunately, their father died when Humboldt was only nine years old. Afterward, their mother grew reclusive and let tutors take most of the responsibility of raising her children as intelligent and honorable young adults.

But unlike his brother, Alexander always preferred nature to studying.

While Wilhelm took to his books, Alexander roamed the countryside estate where he lived, filling his pockets with plants and bugs and earning the nickname, “the little apothecary.” Though his mother wanted both of her boys to be civil servants, Alexander was fascinated by the new age of exploration and grew up dreaming of leaving home and seeing the world.

So, as young Alexander von Humboldt reached adulthood, he spent his non-working hours following his passion for science and nature.

He dutifully continued his education, excelling in science, math and language. But he found a special interest in geology and, at the age of 22, landed steady work as a mining inspector. While improving conditions for miners, Humboldt also studied the underground plant-life of the mines and published his first book on subterranean flora.

Also, whenever he found the time, he obsessed over the latest scientific advances in zoology, botany, and the mechanics of life.

He became particularly interested in galvanism, the study of biological reactions to electric currents, even using his own body to conduct experiments!

But all the while, Humboldt found it more and more difficult to calm a restless mind that longed to escape Europe. But before he could venture to uncharted lands, he met the man who would change the way he saw the world around him.

Before he left Germany, Humboldt was already learning to combine art and science.

Meanwhile, Humboldt’s brother Wilhelm had moved to the German town of Jena where he fell in with a group of friends that included Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, widely considered the country’s greatest poet.

Goethe was already internationally famous by the 1790s and was becoming one of the founders of the German Romanticism movement. His novel The Sorrows of Young Werther became a generational landmark. He would soon achieve further renown by publishing Faust.

Humboldt’s arrival in South America was an eye-opening experience.

In November 1796, Humboldt’s mother passed away. No longer under the obligation to please her, Humboldt took his inheritance and resigned his position as mining inspector. He quickly set about planning his long-awaited expedition by stocking up on equipment and scientific tools.

But finding a boat to take him away from Europe wasn’t so easy.

South America was filled with both wonders and warning signs.

Humboldt and Bonpland continued their journey along the coast of the Caribbean Sea, and down into New Granada, traveling along the Orinoco River.

In 1800, Spain was colonizing South America. As they traveled, Humboldt not only observed the brutal practices of slavery but also noted the colonists’ disregard for South America’s natural bounty. He saw how they were destroying ecosystems by mining for valuable minerals and planting cash crops like sugar and indigo.

When Humboldt finally reached the top of Mount Chimborazo, he was struck with a revelation.

The grueling journey through South America continued into 1802. Humboldt and Bonpland were plagued by ruthless mosquitos, fever, dysentery, blizzards, and more than a couple of near-death experiences.

But nothing could keep Humboldt from his goal of reaching the Andes and encountering the fascinating volcanoes that lined the horizon.

Humboldt’s ideas quickly spread across Europe and the United States.

When the time came for Humboldt to leave South America in 1803, he’d compiled hundreds of sketches and tens of thousands of geological, astronomical and meteorological observations. On top of that, his expedition had collected around 60,000 plant specimens – 2,000 of which would be seen as completely new species to Europeans.

But before returning to Europe, Humboldt stopped to visit President Thomas Jefferson in the United States.

Humboldt’s ideas influenced politics as well.

Humboldt continued to write and publish his observations, and in 1807 he released his landmark Views of Nature. His use of poetic language to describe his findings made the book a blueprint for nature writing for future generations.

As Humboldt continued to promote the use of art, poetry and lyricism to speak of nature, he served as an inspiration to many, including the revolutionary Simón Bolívar.

Despite his popularity, Humboldt had trouble launching another expedition.

In 1815, Humboldt’s success in the publishing world continued with another highly influential book called Personal Narrative. This was a more linear travelogue of his South American adventure and would go on to inspire many future explorers.

Humboldt had been living in Paris for a while, but in the 1820s, following Napoleon’s exile and the restoration of Louis XVIII, he saw a rise in censorship and oppression.

Humboldt’s journey through Russia would provide the final ingredients for his work.

In autumn 1827, Humboldt received a letter from the Russian finance minister asking him if he was interested in taking a funded trip across Russia. The nation had recently discovered platinum in the Ural Mountains and its rulers were interested in other potential discoveries.

It wasn’t the trip to the Himalayas Humboldt was hoping for, but he jumped at the chance to tour the wilds of Russia.

Cosmos was the influential culmination of Humboldt’s message to the world.

It was Humboldt’s goal to produce a single work that would fully represent his view of a world that is entirely connected and intricately woven together. This work would expand upon the “Naturgemälde” idea that struck him atop Chimborazo 40 years previously, and ended up becoming a five-volume book called Cosmos.

While science was drawing lines between disciplines and separating itself from the arts, the aim of Cosmos was to bring it all together.

Many influential people carried Humboldt’s teachings into the twentieth century.

Just how influential was Alexander von Humboldt? His unique perspective continues to inspire explorers and environmentalists and many people have carried his message of uniting art and science into future generations.

Charles Darwin was famously inspired by Humboldt’s Personal Narrative.

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What is The Invention of Nature about?

The Invention of Nature (2015) shines a light on the extraordinary life of explorer and scientist Alexander von Humboldt. Discover Humboldt’s amazing perspective on our relationship to the world and find out how his ecological discoveries and observations are just as relevant and profound today as they were in the nineteenth century.

Best quote from The Invention of Nature

Man can only act upon nature and appropriate her forces to his use by comprehending her laws.

—Andrea Wulf

Who should read The Invention of Nature?

Environmentalists
Students of environmental history, art and science
Scientists, especially biologists and botanists

About the Author

Andrea Wulf trained as an art historian at London’s Royal College of Art. Her previous books include Chasing Venus and Founding Gardeners. She has also contributed to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

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