Transcript Ernst Haeckel

Ernst Haeckel
1834 - 1919
Life and Education
Born in Prussia to well-educated Protestant parents
Studied medicine at Wurzburg and the University of
Berlin from 1852-57
Studied with Johannes Muller, who introduced
Haeckel to marine biology and Albert von Kolliker, a
physiologist who introduced him to microscopic
work.
Traveled to Messina, Italy to paint and considered
making art his career
Got his doctoral degree in zoology, studying under
Carl Gegenbaur at the University of Jena
Became a professor of comparative anatomy at the
University of Jena for 47 years
Inspiration
Very inspired by Darwin’s Origin of Species, and
thought it confirmed his suspicion that different
species of Radiolarians evolved from a common
ancestor.
Influenced by the natural philosophy of Wolfgang
von Goethe and the French naturalist, Jean-Baptiste
de Lamarck
Thought Darwin, Lamarck, and Goethe were the
three “fathers of the theory of descent.”
Major Accomplishments
Discovered hundreds of
marine species
Mapped a genealogical
tree relating all life
forms
Coined the terms:
“phylogeny,”
“ecology,” and the
kingdom “Protista”
Made detailed
drawings of embryos
and marine life
Popularized Darwin in
Germany
Came up with the
Recapitulation Theory,
also called biogenetic
law
Argued for the teaching
of evolution in Freedom
in Science and
Teaching.
Haeckel’s Recapitulation Theory
“Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny”
An individual organism’s biological
development (ontogeny) parallels and
summarizes the evolutionary development of
the species (phylogeny)
Theory has been discredited since the early
20th century.
While ontogeny and phylogeny are closely
related and intertwined, there is by no means
a one-to-one relationship between them.
Selected Published Works
The Artforms of Nature: illustrations of animal and
sea creatures (1904)
The Riddle of the Universe: or “World-Riddle,”
philosophy on the nature and origin of the universe
(1895-1899)
The History of Creation (1868)
Freedom in Science and Teaching (1877)
Systematic Phylogeny (1894)
Anthropogenie (1874/1903): evolution of man
Haeckel’s Artistic Pursuits
Embryo Fraud
Unfortunately, Haeckel used
his artistic talents to
strengthen his arguments for
common ancestry
He subtly changed aspects of
embryos to reflect his
theories
Though he confessed to
having fudged the drawings
during his lifetime, the
confession was lost and his
embryonic drawings were
newly discredited within the
last 20 years
Other Controversies
Haeckel attempted to create a genealogical tree
reflecting a hierarchy of human races, placing white
Europeans above many other races
His theories were used by the Nazi party to confirm
their belief in Aryan supremacy after his death
Summary
Haeckel was a German
Romantic who was willing to
fudge the truth to make his
theories work
Began the study of phylogeny
Mapped out a genealogical tree
that was used as a conceptual
model until the 1970’s
Was a great advocate for the
teaching of evolution and the
eradication of religious dogma
from science
Didn’t quite pick up where
Darwin left off, but made
important contributions
nonetheless
Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Haeckel
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/haeckel.html
http://www.slate.com/id/2124625/
http://www.greenspirit.org.uk/resources/Haec
kel.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/2
51305/Ernst-Haeckel
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3651139
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2893598