[New Entry by Dalia Nassar on January 16, 2023.]
Alexander (Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander) von Humboldt (1769 – 1859) was a scientific explorer and natural philosopher, who achieved fame following his return from South America in 1804. Already during his lifetime, biographies celebrating Humboldt began to appear (Rupke 2008), and upon his death in 1859, Humboldt was commemorated across the world – from Alexandria to New York City, from Paris and Moscow to Adelaide and Melbourne (Wulf 2015). An ocean current was named after him, as were numerous national parks, regions,…

Originally appeared on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Read More