The Tragic Sense of Life

With detractors ranging from paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould to modern-day creationists and advocates of intelligent design, Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) is better known as a divisive figure than as a pioneering biologist. This biography rehabilitates Haeckel - focusing on his science and art. It also gives an account of Haeckel's eventful life.

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Prior to World War I, more people learned of evolutionary theory from the voluminous writings of Charles Darwin's foremost champion in Germany, Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919), than from any other source, including the writings of Darwin himself. But, with detractors ranging from paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould to modern-day creationists and advocates of intelligent design, Haeckel is better known as a divisive figure than as a pioneering biologist. Robert J. Richards' intellectual biography rehabilitates Haeckel, providing the most accurate measure of his science and art yet written, as well as a moving account of Haeckel's eventful life.