Exhibition on the occasion of the 275th anniversary of Georg Christoph Lichtenberg’s (1742–1799) birth
Precise observer, cutting commenter, adventurous physicist, popular academic teacher and inquisitive thinker: already among his contemporaries Georg Christoph Lichtenberg was regarded as a personality with many facets and interests.
2017 marks the 275th anniversary of Lichtenberg’s birth – one of the most renowned protagonists of the Enlightenment. Göttingen State and University Library takes this as an opportunity to dedicate an exhibition to this special Göttingen professor for mathematics and astronomy.
The exhibition ‚DingeDenkenLichtenberg’ will engage Lichtenberg’s preserved physical objects and his written legacy in a dialogue with his ideas and methods – thus opening up unaccustomed perspectives on the versatile scholar, his self-perception, his works and his role for the history of science and ideas in the 18th century:
How does an early modern professor collect, process and impart knowledge? How to explain magnetism to students and how to generate electricity with an air-rifle? How to pick a name for an academic journal? And is it possible to observe one’s environment without actually standing in one’s own way?
DingeDenkenLichtenberg came into being in close co-operation with the Academy of Sciences and Humanities Göttingen, the Historic collections of the I. Physical Institute as well as the Centre for Collection Development. The exhibition casts a glance ahead to the future ‘Forum Wissen’
The exhibition is open to the public from July 1st to October 3rd, from 11:00 am to 6.00 pm every Tuesday till Sunday.