ABSTRACT This article opens with a review of Isaac Newton’s theory of light, focusing on the controversial character of his crucial experiment. It then proceeds to examine certain aspects of his legacy in a century that was perhaps more Newtonian than his own optics. We analyse some of the metaphors connected with light and the symbolic role of light as the metaphor for knowledge. The article concludes with Goethe’s colour theory, his challenge to Newtonian theory, and his reinstatement of human beings and the history of science in order to achieve a better understanding not only of light, the eye and chromatic phenomena, but also of scientific activity as a whole. RESUMEN En este artículo comenzamos por revisar la teoría de la luz de Isaac Newton, centrándonos en el carácter controvertido del experimento crucial. Después nos detenemos en algunos aspectos de su legado en un siglo quizás más newtoniano que su propia óptica, analizando algunas metáforas bajo las que fue entendida la luz, así como el papel simbólico de la luz, metáfora del conocimiento por excelencia. Finalmente repasamos la teoría de los colores de Goethe, su impugnación de la óptica newtoniana y su empeño en recuperar al ser humano y la historia de la ciencia para entender mejor no sólo qué son la luz, el ojo o los fenómenos cromáticos, sino la actividad científica en su conjunto.
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