The Philosophical Significance of Goethe’s Farbenlehre for Hegel
The Philosophical Significance of Goethe’s Farbenlehre for Hegel

Summary/Abstract: In this paper, I discuss Hegel’s reception of Goethe’s theory of colors and attempt to shed light on its philosophical significance for Hegel. I start with an overview of the central themes and concepts in Goethe’s theory, focusing in particular on primordial phenomena, polarity, intensification, complementarity of colors, and Goethe’s anti-reductionism. I then argue that it is especially the principle of polarity, as well as Goethe’s anti-reductionism about the domain of color phenomena, that were attractive for Hegel and played the most significant role in his discussion of Goethe’s theory. Finally, I argue that Hegel’s interest in polarity is connected with his view that this principle anticipates, in a sensuous and not fully adequate way, his own account of the concept as the fundamental structure of reality.

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