Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859)
It was some 220 years ago that Alexander von Humboldt set off on his famous voyages of discovery. To mark his 250th birthday, he was celebrated all over the world as an outstanding scientist and the father of the environmental movement.
Humboldt is rightly regarded as one of the strongest advocates of fact-based science. At the same time, however, he always stressed the importance of the interaction between human cultures and the ecosystems they encountered. And that is not all – he also said that scientists must “feel” nature in order to understand it. Otherwise, although they would be able to describe nature, its essence would remain inaccessible to them. In addition to supporting nature’s cause, however, Humboldt also advocated on behalf of humanity’s essential role in nature and its elementary rights and needs. In this sense, Humboldt can be viewed not only as an early pioneer of a trans-disciplinary approach to science but also as a proponent of treating nature and social institutions in a manner determined by both empirical and cultural considerations.
Unfortunately, this holistic approach to science has been completely marginalised over the last 200 years. With alex2020, we would like to pick up where Alexander von Humboldt left off and, alongside the indispensable objective data, give equal space to those variables that stand for the chosen overriding, systemic purposes, to the why and the wherefore, etc. These factors are absolutely essential for a systemic view, but at the same time they are clearly subjective. The goal is not to provide scientific proof for a specific systemic purpose, but to formulate a working hypothesis that is accepted by society. Societal acceptance is required in order to weigh up the various interests. As has now become painfully obvious, this task is beyond the capacities of both the market-based distribution mechanism and short-term political majorities.
