How Humboldtian Was Alexander von Humboldt? A New Look at Humboldt’s Life

Surprisingly, the global effects of Alexander von Humboldt’s thinking—often condensed in the term “Humboldtian science”—are better known than the peculiarities of Humboldt’s peripatetic life and research. In the second lecture of the “New Perspectives on Humboldt Series,” historian Andreas Daum assessed to what extent Humboldt himself was truly Humboldtian. Daum presented new insights into the Prussian naturalist’s struggle to generate a holistic understanding of nature. Andreas Daum is a professor of history at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and a recipient of the Humboldt Research Prize. His newest book, "Alexander von Humboldt: A Concise Biography," was published by Princeton University Press in October 2024.