Definition

Proper noun * Ernst Haeckel: A German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor, and artist. He was a prominent advocate and popularizer of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in Germany. He is known for formulating the now-discredited biogenetic law ("ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny"), for coining many scientific terms (including "ecology," "phylum," and "stem cell"), and for his detailed, artistic illustrations of biological specimens.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • The biologist Haeckel proposed that an embryo's development repeats the evolutionary history of its species.
  • Many of Haeckel's intricate drawings of radiolarians are considered both scientific and artistic works.
  • The theories of Haeckel were influential but later contested by modern embryology.

Advanced Usage

• Haeckelian (adjective): Pertaining to or characteristic of the theories or work of Ernst Haeckel.
  • The Haeckelian concept of recapitulation is no longer accepted in its original form.

Variants and Related Words

• Recapitulation theory: Often called the "biogenetic law" or summarized by the phrase "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny," this was Haeckel's controversial hypothesis that the development of an individual organism (ontogeny) mirrors the evolutionary development of its species (phylogeny).
• Monism: The philosophical position that mind and matter are unified in one substance. Haeckel was a proponent of materialistic monism, arguing that all phenomena, including consciousness, are ultimately material.

Synonyms

• Biologist
• Naturalist
• Evolutionist

Related Phrases and Concepts

• "Kunstformen der Natur" (Art Forms in Nature): The title of Haeckel's famous 1904 book of lithographic prints, which greatly influenced early 20th-century art and design.
• Materialistic monism: The philosophical doctrine, championed by Haeckel, that all existence can be explained by physical matter and its properties.

Noun

1. German biologist and philosopher; advocated Darwinism and formulated the theory of recapitulation; was an exponent of materialistic monism (1834-1919)