Goethean science as a way to read landscape

Brook, Isis

doi:10.1080/01426399808706525

Cited by 19 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Researchers who follow Goethe's intuitive methods tend to emphasize the intrinsic, autonomous value of organisms, and of nature as a whole. Both Epicureanism and qualitative science value objectivity, and this is approached via a schooled, intuitive subjectivity (Brook, 1998). Universal truth might be accessible from just one part, one instance, the experience of one individual.…”

Section: Values Results and Worth In Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epicureanism and the poetics of consumption

Wood

2010

Int J Consumer Studies

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Consumption, ‘to use up, to destroy’, is a dirty word. It conjures piles of rubbish; it suggests an extravagant attitude. We, each one of us hoping to be a unique, careful individual, can feel offended at being referred to as ‘the consumer’. Yet, ‘to consume’ is not only a human activity, it is one of the fundamental processes of nature, a natural aspect of the creative process. In this paper, I will emphasize connections between the creative research process, poetics and consumerism. I suggest that research can be envisioned as a cycle of consumption and renewal. Our tools in such a natural philosophy are the contemplation of natural events, and the insights that a poetic understanding of language can give us. To this end, I draw on the ancient Epicurean philosophy, as demonstrated in De rerum natura, written by the Roman poet, Lucretius, in the first century BCE. Lucretius gave a scientific explanation of the universe, in poetry, to demonstrate that natural laws can be derived by reason, contemplation and by the use of the senses. Further, Lucretius' use of language, as a creative medium, modelled the actions of the universe. This insight provides a link between poetry, science and research, one which is still relevant to twenty‐first‐century scientific research generally. In this paper, I will suggest that it is also specifically relevant to the design and practice of consumer research. For instance, both research and creativity are aspects of that urge to move beyond subjectivity, towards knowledge that is whole and shared. In Epicureanism, subjective engagement provides access to that which is universal. We can conceive of consumerism, and of consumer research, in the same terms, as a striving for completion, and as a poetic, natural and reciprocal act, involving the transformation of the consumer, and that which is consumed.

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Section: Values Results and Worth In Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epicureanism and the poetics of consumption

Wood

2010

Int J Consumer Studies

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“…Previous applications of the method in European landscapes were followed (i.e. Brook, 1998;Colquhoun, 1997;Vereijken, van Gelder & Baars, 1997), and an eight step process was worked through over four days in April 2006, within a 95 hectare paddock (or field) ( Figure 1). This paddock was part of a 4410 hectare property located approximately 400 km west of Brisbane, and had been extensively cleared of brigalow vegetation and developed for agriculture.…”

Section: The Brigalow Belt Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This step involved using imagination in a systematic manner, to perceive the landscape moving through its history, to its present, and then into its future. The aim was to try and experience the landscape as if living in its flowing processes or changing forms, rather than simply observe a static representation (Brook, 1998). In other words, this step of "delicate empiricism" was about connecting within oneself what is already connected within the landscape, and in turn, strengthening one's relationship with it (Schilling, 2007).…”

Section: The Brigalow Belt Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of interpretations of "delicate empiricism" exist, and the method has been applied to a range of subjects including European landscapes, Australian native plants, granite outcroppings, animals and even social development processes (Brook 1998;Cameron, 2005;Colquhoun, 1997;Hoffmann, 1994a;Kaplan, 2005;Seamon, 2005;Vereijken, van Gelder, & Baars 1997). In the European landscape studies of Brook (1998), Colquhoun (1997) and Vereijken, van Gelder, & Baars (1997), "delicate empiricism" has been used to analyse and appreciate landscape appearance, form, function, context and metamorphosis through time. These studies have essentially sought to understand the "character" of their respective landscapes; and have used this understanding to inform land-use design.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The work of Brook (1998), Colquhoun (1997) and Vereijken, van Gelder, & Baars (1997) provided a foundation for the first likely application of Goethe's approach in an Australian landscape ecology study, in the Brigalow Belt, Queensland. This application took place as part of the author's PhD research, which also involved studying the Brigalow Belt landscape using "conventional", reductionist scientific methods (Bradley, 2006).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Goethe's “Delicate Empiricism”: Assessing its Value for Australian Ecologists

Bradley¹

2011

Aust. J. environ. educ.

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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, recognised as a seminal German polymath, developed a unique approach for investigating nature, termed “delicate empiricism”. Goethe's approach uses empathy, imagination and intuition to promote a participatory engagement with the world. It goes beyond the dualistic-rationalism that defines “conventional” ecological research and can lead to novel insights. “Delicate empiricism” was applied in an ecologically-degraded agricultural landscape in the Brigalow Belt, Queensland, Australia, and its potential for increasing landscape understanding and providing a basis for land-use design was assessed. It was found that Goethe's approach led to holistic, qualitative landscape awareness, not ordinarily accessible via “conventional science”. Application of “delicate empiricism” also gave rise to a land-use design that refected the Australian-ness of the Brigalow Belt landscape, particularly the potential for recovery of native biodiversity values through retention of regrowth vegetation. Overall, the study suggested that there is merit in educating Australian ecologists about “delicate empiricism” to encourage more creative and sensitive landscape management, that is in sync with the environment.

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The Metamorphosis of the Scientist. A Phenomenological Approach for a Transformative Science Education?

Gray

2023

Science Curriculum for the Anthropocene, Volume 2

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Goethean science as a way to read landscape

Cited by 19 publications

References 5 publications

Epicureanism and the poetics of consumption

Epicureanism and the poetics of consumption

Goethe's “Delicate Empiricism”: Assessing its Value for Australian Ecologists

The Metamorphosis of the Scientist. A Phenomenological Approach for a Transformative Science Education?

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