Teorías de la luz y el color en la época de las luces. De Newton a Goethe

Abstract

This article opens with a review of Isaac Newton’s theory of light, focusing on the controversial character of his crucial experiment. It then proceeds to examine certain aspects of his legacy in a century that was perhaps more Newtonian than his own optics. We analyse some of the metaphors connected with light and the symbolic role of light as the metaphor for knowledge. The article concludes with Goethe’s colour theory, his challenge to Newtonian theory, and his reinstatement of human beings and the history of science in order to achieve a better understanding not only of light, the eye and chromatic phenomena, but also of scientific activity as a whole.