Physiological Theory of Colours
This Latin reformulation of the color theory explains colors through retinal activity. It shows Schopenhauer adapting an inquiry initially intended for German readers to international scholarly circulation.
Understanding the text
Published within Justus Radius’s physiological enterprise, it must be distinguished from the German treatise of 1816 and its 1854 revision.
Key points
- 01
Scientific language
Latin places the argument within a medical and physiological tradition shared across national boundaries.
- 02
Revision
Reformulations develop the presentation without abandoning the central role of the perceiving subject.
- 03
Scientific history
A philosophical theory of vision can propose interesting experiments while retaining questionable mechanisms.
How to read it
Compare one chromatic example in the Latin and German versions, translating physiological terminology carefully.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗