Erscheinung, Erscheinen (Manifestation)

The lexeme Erscheinung/Erscheinen (manifestation) is related to the formative process of Werden (becoming) that fascinated Goethe throughout his life and which, in turn, is part and parcel of his understanding of morphology in all its manifestations, from the most elementary chemical processes to the highest products of the human mind. Because he was convinced that every existent thing necessitates interpretation to be grasped in its changefulness, he employed a range of surrogates to express the meanings of Erscheinung/Erscheinen. Thus, the lexeme can be translated in different ways: foremost as manifestation, phenomenon, appearance, or illusion. Moreover, Goethe believed that each manifestation is the result of an unrecognized law in the appearing object that corresponds to an unknown regulating principle in the observing subject and that nothing in living nature is static or occurs in isolation; everything is interconnected. Thus, Goethe’s method of inquiry consisted of close empirical observation that included reflection on the observing subjects themselves—a form of phenomenology. Consequently, Anschauen and Gegenstand also enter into the semantic field. Finally, the following examination highlights a lesser-known signification of Erscheinung in Goethe’s usage, one for which he did not have a specific term: that of emergence. Emergence seems most apt to express Goethe’s “lebendiger Begriff” (living concept), which can be seen as the counterpart to nature’s “lebendiges Fliesen” (living flow), which he repeatedly expressed in his literary and scientific writing.