tailieunhanh - Goethe and the Molecular Aesthetic

One should keep in mind, however, that different technical means lead to dif- ferent aesthetic results. In addition to the silk stockings mentioned above, diffu- sion was achieved by the use of smoke, by thin layers of grease on the lens or by specific fog filters (Salt, 1992; Smid, 2009). In contrast to shallow depth of field, it leads to a blurriness that affects the whole image, and it generates blooming highlights. So while depth-of-field separates the characters or objects from the background, diffusion engulfs everything and creates a hazy atmosphere where the figures merge with the environment. . | Goethe and the Molecular Aesthetic Maura C. Flannery St. John s University I argue here that Goethe delicate empiricism is not an alternative approach to science but an approach that scientists use consistently though they usually do not label it as such. I further contend that Goethe views are relevant to todays science specifically to work on the structure of macromolecules such as proteins. Using the work of Agnes Arber a botanist and philosopher of science I will show how her writings help to relate Goethe work to present-day issues of cognition and perception. Many observers see Goethe s delicate empiricism as an antidote to reductionism and to the strict separation of the objective and subjective so prevalent in science today. The argument is that there is a different way to do science Goethe s way and it can achieve discoveries which would be impossible with more positivistic approaches. While I agree that Goethe s method of doing science can be viewed in this light I would like to take a different approach and use the writings of the plant morphologist Agnes Arber in the process since she worked in the Goethean tradition and enlarged upon it. I argue here that Goethe s way of science is done by many if not most scientists that there is not a strict dichotomy between these two ways of doing science but rather scientists move between the two approaches so frequently and the shift is so seamless that it is difficult for them to even realize that it is happening. I use as an example of such shifts the work being done in biology with molecular structures. I argue further that becoming more aware of their use of a delicate empiricism will help biologists and biochemists to be more effective in their exploration of the macromolecular terrain. I came to the study of Goethe through an interest in the aesthetic of biology what makes biology beautiful Flannery 1992 . I became convinced in the Kantian tradition that scientific judgment involves aesthetic judgment. .