3. Goethe's Theory of Colors

[beginning missing] the color fringes. Those who believe that Goethe did not understand or consider this objection should consider what he says in the History of the Theory of Colors, the author's confession, Hempel volume... p. 416ff. and they will be cured of their error. Goethe considered it very carefully, but found it insufficient. If, after emerging from the prism, the divergence of the light rays were the cause of the color appearance, then only the parallel running of the same can be the reason for their union into white before entering. Now allow the question of whether this divergence is not present in a more extended light source in the same way as in a less extended one. What should be the reason for the mixing of differently colored light rays if the only condition for their occurrence, the divergence, is maintained? There is no other way: if divergence were the cause of the color appearance, it could not disappear even though the divergence is not eliminated. There is no question that for those who are trapped in the Newtonian doctrine, for those who are unable to see that Goethe's views on color theory have uses quite other than interpreting this experiment, the same will always form a weighty objection. The reasons that are being asserted against Goethe here are still the most plausible ones. Incidentally, it should be noted that Newton, who thought of colors as material and their combination into white as a chemical compound, still had some semblance of justification for himself. After all, the combination behind the prism could well happen again when the light substances come together. A positive cause for this is probably not present, but one could imagine the chemical relationship of the substances to be so great that mere contact is enough to combine them.

But how the modern mechanical view, which regards light as propagating vibrations, conceives of this combination both in front of and behind the prism is absolutely incomprehensible. And in no work treating this subject – and the author of this essay dares to claim that he will refute every objection concerning this point in every single case – is an explanation of this union even attempted. [In the margin in pencil:] “Series of archetypal phenomena”.

So Goethe was right in his previous explanation.