Ronald Brady, who died on March 27, 2003, concerned himself with the philosophical foundations and practice of Goethean science. A professor of philosophy at New Jersey's Ramapo College from 1972 till his death, he made important contributions to the study of evolutionary morphology, while also pursuing fundamental issues in epistemology. One of his more recent contributions was the chapter, "The Idea in Nature: Rereading Goethe's Organics," in Goethe's Way of Science: A Phenomenology of Nature, edited by David Seamon and Arthur Zajonc (Albany NY: SUNY Press, 1998, pp. 83-111).

Ron told this story about his undergraduate days:

When I began college as a chemistry major my enthusiasm for science was somewhat dampened by meeting a professor of chemistry who pointed out the difference between my own goals and those he, as an experienced professional, would call mature. My passion, he noted, was entirely focused on direct experience—my sense of chemical change was invested in sensible qualities: in smells, colors, the effervescence of liquids, the appearance of precipitates, the light and violence of flame, etc. But, he countered, this was probably closer to medieval alchemy than to chemistry. The latter is really a matter of molecular and atomic events of which we can have only a theoretical grasp, and the sensible experience on which my excitement centered was secondary.... I was reminded of him when I spoke to a morphologist at Berkeley about my interest in Goethe's attempt to approach science by keeping to direct experience. The morphologist responded: "You are interested in this approach because you are a Nature appreciator, while I am a productive scientist." It is always nice to see where one stands.

We think Ron would agree that much of his career was devoted to understanding the cognitive blind spots of those college mentors.

To access some of Ron's articles, click here

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