The Enlightenment ended when Kant questioned our ability to know the world in itself. In response, Romantic philosopher-poets invented “the environment.” This course traces the evolution of the concept from early 19th-century “nature philosophy” and fantastic tales to present day politics. We examine how the Romantics’ metaphysical lens prompted new approaches to science and art by blending poetics with geodata and observation with the occult. Students will use the fluid perspective of these Romantic “World Views” to reflect on our present crisis. Authors include Goethe, Schelling, Alexander von Humboldt, Novalis, Adalbert Stifter, Kleist, Haeckel, ETA Hoffmann, Hegel and Rudolf Steiner.