Alexander von Humboldt
1769 – 1859 German naturalist, explorer
The naturalist who saw the Earth as one connected living system.
- Religion
- A secular, Enlightenment-minded thinker who rarely expressed conventional faith. He often appears on lists of famous Masons, but scholars find no solid evidence he ever joined a lodge.
- Affiliations
- Member of the Prussian and other academies. Freemasonry is rumored but unproven.
Humboldt explored the Americas and measured everything from ocean currents to plant zones on mountains, founding modern physical geography and ecology. His vision of nature as an interwoven whole shaped Darwin and generations of scientists. His book Cosmos tried to capture the entire natural world.
Connections
- influenced Charles Darwin — Darwin carried Humboldt's travel writings on the Beagle voyage.
- influenced Charles Darwin — Humboldt's travel writing inspired Darwin's own voyage.