Alexander von Humboldt believed that a scientist never interacts with nature in a purely rational manner, but that there are always emotions involved as well. A

Alexander von Humboldt believed that a scientist never interacts with nature in a purely rational manner, but that there are always emotions involved as well. And those emotions, he said, ought to be a part of the way he communicated his findings. His philosophy shows in his books. His writing style superbly captures the beauty, awe and grandeur of nature as he experienced it on his South American expedition. The result was a series of books that became bestsellers, because almost everybody could read and appreciate them. At the same time, copious footnotes provided the accuracy and comprehensiveness his fellow scientists needed. Of course, he also wrote books that were entirely technical in nature, as is perhaps inescapable. But I wish more scientists today would take up the challenge of communicating not just the truth of their findings, but also their beauty.