Introduction:
I. The Concept of the Course
It will be worthwhile to begin with a few words about the concept of
this seminar and, in particular, its connection to UT Environmental
Semester. Certainly, it is not hard to see connections between
the Faust story and environmental issues, for Dr. Faust, the man who
sacrifices his soul for material well-being and enjoyment, is easily
interpreted as a symbol of modern industry, technology, and economy,
which use knowledge to dominate nature for our benefit. Many new
technologies, from atomic energy to genetic engineering to the
internet, seem to have the characteristics of a Faustian bargain, and
we dwellers in the First and Second Worlds are often described as
Faustian men and women. However, Goethe's insights into our
relation with nature go much deeper.
Although best known as a novelist, dramatist, and poet, Goethe
considered his scientific work to be more important than his
literary activities, but his conception of science was quite different
from ours, for his approach to nature was empathetic, participatory, and holistic rather than analytic, observational, and reductive.
As a result Goethean science has emerged as a possible foundation for a
twenty-first century renewal of natural science and as a basis for an
environmentally-sensitive technology.
Goethe's approach to natural science also permeates his epic drama, Faust,
on which he worked for more than 60 years. It is relevant to
environmental concerns because, in addition to the theme of the
Faustian bargain, it also depicts Faust's evolving relationship with
the feminine, both immanent and transcendent, and thus suggests a
different, post-patriarchal orientation for science and technology.
Therefore, in this seminar we will read selections from Goethe's Faust
(in English) and from his scientific writings, and weave around them a
critical dialogue about our relationship to nature, science, and
technology, now and in the future. Among the Faustian
technologies we will consider are nanotechnology, artificial
intelligence, and germ-line genetic engineering.
It is also interesting that there were environmentalist and feminist
issues in the background of the Faust legend even before Goethe got
a hold of it. Therefore, to help you to understand the context of
the Faust story, I make a few remarks about the philosophy of nature in
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, just after the historical Dr.
Faustus lived and the legend began.
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Last updated: 2005-01-13.