Embodied Cognition

Abstract

This chapter locates the continued relevance of Humboldt’s science in his specific form of writing, which he describes as Naturgemälde and which might best be understood as an embodied form of aesthetics. The chapter situates Humboldt’s aesthetic writings in the context of his own theory of art, in particular his notion of “truth to nature [Naturwahrheit]” in art, and in the debate regarding the differences between poetry and painting. By showing the extent to which Humboldt valued the philosophical and poetic works of Friedrich Schiller, the chapter demonstrates the significance of Schiller’s conceptualization of the relation between aesthetics and ethics for Humboldt, and the ways in which Humboldt went beyond Schiller in recognizing the cognitive value of art. The chapter concludes with an investigation of the relevance of Humboldt’s embodied aesthetics—which addresses the whole human being, i.e., her intellect, senses, and imagination—and how it challenges us to develop new practices of knowledge.