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The Evolution of Man, Vol. 1 of 2 (Classic Reprint): A Popular Exposition, Principal Points of Human Ontogeny and Phylogeny
Excerpt from The Evolution of Man
Nor is this surprising, when we see what a little way the knowledge of human evolution has spread even among the very students of Nature. Even in most works devoted to the Natural History, Anatomy, Physiology, Ethnology, and Psychology of Man, it is evident at a glance that their authors, if not ignorant, have at least a very superficial knowledge of human germ-history, and that tribal history lies far beyond them. The name of Darwin is, indeed, in every mouth. But few persons have really assimilated the theory of descent, as reformed by him few have made it part of themselves. To show how far even biologists of repute are from thoroughly understanding the history of evolution, no more remarkable recent instance can be found than the well-known address, on The Limits of Natural Knowledge, delivered by the celebrated physio logist, Du Bois Reymond, in 1873, before the naturalists assembled at Leipzig. This eloquent address, the source of such triumph to the opponents of the theory of evola tion, the cause of such pain to all friends of intellectual advance, is essentially a great denial of the history of evolution. No thoughtful naturalist will disagree with the Berlin physiologist when, in the first half of his address, he explains the limits of natural knowledge, as they are at present set to man by his vertebrate nature. But it is equally certain that every monistic naturalist will protest against the second half of the address, in which, not only is another limit, assumed to be different (but in reality identical), indicated for human knowledge, but the con elusion is finally drawn, that man will never pass over these limits We shall never know that Ignorabimus!
Nor is this surprising, when we see what a little way the knowledge of human evolution has spread even among the very students of Nature. Even in most works devoted to the Natural History, Anatomy, Physiology, Ethnology, and Psychology of Man, it is evident at a glance that their authors, if not ignorant, have at least a very superficial knowledge of human germ-history, and that tribal history lies far beyond them. The name of Darwin is, indeed, in every mouth. But few persons have really assimilated the theory of descent, as reformed by him few have made it part of themselves. To show how far even biologists of repute are from thoroughly understanding the history of evolution, no more remarkable recent instance can be found than the well-known address, on The Limits of Natural Knowledge, delivered by the celebrated physio logist, Du Bois Reymond, in 1873, before the naturalists assembled at Leipzig. This eloquent address, the source of such triumph to the opponents of the theory of evola tion, the cause of such pain to all friends of intellectual advance, is essentially a great denial of the history of evolution. No thoughtful naturalist will disagree with the Berlin physiologist when, in the first half of his address, he explains the limits of natural knowledge, as they are at present set to man by his vertebrate nature. But it is equally certain that every monistic naturalist will protest against the second half of the address, in which, not only is another limit, assumed to be different (but in reality identical), indicated for human knowledge, but the con elusion is finally drawn, that man will never pass over these limits We shall never know that Ignorabimus!
550 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2004
About the author
Ernst Haeckel
971 books128 followersErnst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (February 16, 1834 – August 9, 1919), also written von Haeckel, was an eminent German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor and artist who discovered, described and named thousands of new species, mapped a genealogical tree relating all life forms, and coined many terms in biology, including anthropogeny, ecology, phylum, phylogeny, stem cell, and the kingdom Protista. Haeckel promoted and popularized Charles Darwin's work in Germany and developed the controversial recapitulation theory ("ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny") claiming that an individual organism's biological development, or ontogeny, parallels and summarizes its species' evolutionary development, or phylogeny.
The published artwork of Haeckel includes over 100 detailed, multi-colour illustrations of animals and sea creatures (see: Kunstformen der Natur, "Art Forms of Nature"). As a philosopher, Ernst Haeckel wrote Die Welträtsel (1895–1899, in English, The Riddle of the Universe, 1901), the genesis for the term "world riddle" (Welträtsel); and Freedom in Science and Teaching to support teaching evolution.
The published artwork of Haeckel includes over 100 detailed, multi-colour illustrations of animals and sea creatures (see: Kunstformen der Natur, "Art Forms of Nature"). As a philosopher, Ernst Haeckel wrote Die Welträtsel (1895–1899, in English, The Riddle of the Universe, 1901), the genesis for the term "world riddle" (Welträtsel); and Freedom in Science and Teaching to support teaching evolution.
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