In fact, von Humboldt was a natural scientist and a journalist. As such, he wrote against slavery, for the emancipation of the Jews, and about the destruction of nature by man.
Dr. Stroble showed some relevant documents taken from the Bern edition. I was particularly thrilled by a map of America from 1500 found and published by von Humboldt.
As a mother tongue, Alexander spoke French - his mother was a rich Huguenot from Berlin. So his self-portrait of 1814 shows un bel homme.
Von Humboldt's book against slavery is published in the States, although in an abridged version.
In an article in the Neue Zürcher-Zeitung, von Humboldt sustains his liberal "expedition" colleague and Senator from California, John C. Frémont, in his fight against slavery. He also supported his friend in his bid for the US Presidency in 1856. Frémont lost.
Concerning the Jews, von Humboldt denounces that Christian men/women went astray in the dark centuries by pretentiously interpreting God's age-old laws. He did not know that the worst was still to come.
Like Goethe, von Humboldt also participated in the fight between Neptunists and Plutonists, e.g., about basalt formations. Are they sediments or of volcanic origin?
Here von Humboldt subserviently dedicated his work "About the construction and mode of action of the volcanoes" to the Titan in Weimar.
Twice von Humboldt tried to climb the Chimborazo.
A painting of old von Humboldt with his object of desire in the background.
In his last writing, von Humboldt complained about his suffering from pressure by the number of letters he received and begged for mercy. Twenty-one days later, he died. What a genius!
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