ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT'S NATURAL HISTORY LEGACY AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR TODAY – OPENING REMARKS

Abstract

Boston and Humboldt have developed a wonderful bond. After the precedent of 1869, when the largest celebration in the Western hemisphere of Humboldt's 100th birthday took place in this city, it is only fitting that we convene here in 1999 at Boston University for the most important American celebration of the Bicentennial of his voyage to the Americas. The German Consulate is particularly grateful to Boston University, to its President, Jon Westling; to its Chancellor, Dr. John Silber; and to the Director of its Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Tom Kunz; to his deputy, Chris Schneider; and to his assistant, Kelly White, for hosting this symposium. Today, we celebrate more than a Bicentennial. We attempt more than a scientific reappraisal of a great man. After a troubled century, we may return to Humboldt's enlightened political optimism. His view of German-American relations was described, in 1847, by John Lloyd Stephens, then director of the U.S. Ocean Steamship Company, as follows: [...]between the U.S. and Germany, there never could be any feeling of rivalry, or any cause of collision, and the closer we could be drawn together, the better it would be for both countries. As we prepare for the new millennium, I am happy to recommend this Humboldtian analysis to all architects of transatlantic relations. For an alumnus of Duisseldorf's Humboldt-Gymnasium, named after both Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt, this is a proud moment. When I met in September 1997 with Ingrid and Joerg-Henner Lotze and Gerhard Kortum, in the lodge of the Humboldt Field Research Institute at Eagle Hill, Maine, the plan of today's symposium was first conceived. When the Lotzes met with Tom Kunz in January of this year, plans for the bicentennial symposium were finally set in motion. I would like to solicit your applause for their ingenious and efficient cooperation. This week, the Boston Public Library opened an exhibit on Boston. Mapping was definitely Humboldt's area of interest. This