I had once read that there were three men who were geniuses in three distinct disciplines. Goethe was one, along with Albert Einstein and Albert Schweitzer. Goethe has also been cited in several of my other, recent readings.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was no ordinary writer. As Rüdiger Safranski shows in his masterful biography, Goethe was a rare fusion of poet, scientist, statesman, and philosopher. His life reminds us of a time when knowledge was not fragmented but unified.

Goethe’s idea of purity—in thought, in art, in life—meant integration. He resisted the modern tendency to isolate domains of knowledge. In poetry, this gave us Faust, a work that traces the soul’s journey through science, love, power, and finally, humility. In science, it gave us a defiant stand against Newton, insisting that color is not merely wavelength but experience.

Today, as we silo disciplines and prioritize speed over depth, Goethe’s commitment to wholeness offers a powerful counter-example. He lived with intensity, yes—but with balance. That might be the most radical thing about him.

If you want to know how to live in a fractured age, Goethe still has something to say.