What does Goethe’s empiricism have to offer for physics teaching?

Abstract Physics experiments in school science typically focus on empirically verifying known relationships between physical quantities. While this is a justifiable goal, students’ qualitative understanding of the phenomena under study may be limited. The great German poet J. W. Goethe developed a unique approach to observing natural phenomena without theoretical concepts, highlighting the sensory experience. For instance, Goethe observed the colours appearing through a prism at the interfaces of black and white patterns. This article outlines Goethe’s way of science and prism experiments, which are suitable for school science at all levels. Goethe’s ‘delicate empiricism’ teaches students to make careful qualitative observations and rely on their sensory perceptions.