--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I established the opposite view, that…" description: "\"I established the opposite view, that this history of the embryo (ontogeny) must be completed by a second, equally valuable, and closely connected bran..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/ernst-haeckel-20972_action_i-established-the-opposite-view-that-thi_2436500.jpg" --- # I established the opposite view, that this history of the… ![“I established the opposite view, that this history of the embryo (ontogeny) must be completed by a second, equally valuable, and closely connected branch of thought - the history of race (phylogeny). Both of these branches of evolutionary science, are, in my opinion, in the closest causal…” quote by Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/ernst-haeckel-20972_action_i-established-the-opposite-view-that-thi_2436500.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/ernst-haeckel-20972_action_i-established-the-opposite-view-that-thi_2436500.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/ernst-haeckel-20972_action_i-established-the-opposite-view-that-thi_2436500.jpg) > “I established the opposite view, that this history of the embryo (ontogeny) must be completed by a second, equally valuable, and closely connected branch of thought - the history of race (phylogeny). Both of these branches of evolutionary science, are, in my opinion, in the closest causal connection; this arises from the reciprocal action of the laws of heredity and adaptation... 'ontogenesis is a brief and rapid recapitulation of phylogenesis, determined by the physiological functions of heredity (generation) and adaptation (maintenance).” [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He proposes linking embryology with phylogeny, suggesting a reciprocal relationship between development and evolution. **In simple terms:** Connect development with evolution. Key Takeaway Study both fields together. Themes science evolution development Mood analytical curious Type theoretical scientific When to use this quote - biology education - research design - interdisciplinary study Key Concepts reciprocity causality Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect modern genetics? - What evidence supports this link? A Different Perspective Complexity may oversimplify. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Adaptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/) [Arise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arise/) [Branches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/branches/) [Closest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/closest/) [Connected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connected/) [Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [Determined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determined/) [Embryo Ontogeny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embryo-ontogeny-346643/) [Embryos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embryos/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Heredity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heredity/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Maintenance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maintenance/) [Ontogenesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ontogenesis-346640/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Phylogenesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phylogenesis-346641/) [Phylogenesis Determined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phylogenesis-determined-346642/) [Physiological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physiological/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Rapids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapids/) [Recapitulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recapitulation/) [Recapitulation Phylogenesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recapitulation-phylogenesis-346639/) [Reciprocal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reciprocal/) [Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) ## Related quotes > [“Phylogenesis is the mechanical cause of ontogenesis.1 In other words, the development of the stem, or race, is, in accordance with the laws of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/phylogenesis-is-the-mechanical-cause-of-ontogenesis-1-in-other-words/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [“This passage, in fact, makes strikingly clear that both at the level of ontogenesis (the development of the child) and phylogenesis (the development of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nidesh-lawtoo/this-passage-in-fact-makes-strikingly-clear-that-both-at-the-level-of/) [Nidesh Lawtoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nidesh-lawtoo/) > [Cancer's life is a recapitulation of the body's life, its existence a pathological mirror of our own. Susan Sontag warned against overburdening an illness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/cancer-s-life-is-a-recapitulation-of-the-body-s-life-its-existence-a-2/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [ The point of recapitulation in the first movement of the Ninth \[Symphony of Beethoven\] is one of the most horrifying moments in music, as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-mcclary/the-point-of-recapitulation-in-the-first-movement-of-the-ninth/) [Susan McClary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-mcclary/) > [One of the struggles that I have with classical music is the way one thinks about a recapitulation. There's always this idea of themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-holter/one-of-the-struggles-that-i-have-with-classical-music-is-the-way-one/) [Julia Holter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-holter/) > [“Stalking is a very difficult art to come to terms with, for in reality, you can’t apply yourself to it. This art inevitably has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lujan-matus/stalking-is-a-very-difficult-art-to-come-to-terms-with-for-in-reality/) [Lujan Matus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lujan-matus/) > [Extraordinarily excessive sensuality it may be .. but it all comes down to the same thing in the end, and one means is surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/extraordinarily-excessive-sensuality-it-may-be-but-it-all-comes-down/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [If the records that I make have one thing in common, it's that there is little recapitulation, and the idea is that it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/if-the-records-that-i-make-have-one-thing-in-common-it-s-that-there/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [Water is an individual, an animal, and is alive, remove the hydrogen and it is an animal and is alive; the remaining oxygen is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/water-is-an-individual-an-animal-and-is-alive-remove-the-hydrogen-and/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [From the point of view of the pure morphologist the recapitulation theory is an instrument of research enabling him to reconstruct probable lines of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-s-russell/from-the-point-of-view-of-the-pure-morphologist-the-recapitulation/) [E.S. Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-s-russell/) > [A rare book at once of great importance and wonderful to read… Gould presents a fascinating historical study of scientific racism, tracing it through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/a-rare-book-at-once-of-great-importance-and-wonderful-to-read-gould/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Shakespeare wrote his sonnets within a strict discipline, fourteen lines of iambic pentameter, rhyming in three quatrains and a couplet. Were his sonnets dull?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/shakespeare-wrote-his-sonnets-within-a-strict-discipline-fourteen/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [“Embodying recapitulation as a practical application to one’s path means not living the way you used to live, and being so completely in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lujan-matus/embodying-recapitulation-as-a-practical-application-to-one-s-path/) [Lujan Matus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lujan-matus/) > [“In most cases, it's not what you do but what you don't do that delivers you to a state of personal power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lujan-matus/in-most-cases-it-s-not-what-you-do-but-what-you-don-t-do-that/) [Lujan Matus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lujan-matus/) > [The point of recapitulation in the first movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony unleashes one of the most horrifyingly violent episodes in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-mcclary/the-point-of-recapitulation-in-the-first-movement-of-beethoven-s/) [Susan McClary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-mcclary/) ## More by Ernst Haeckel > [ We are compelled by reflection to recognize that God is not to be placed against the material world \[as in Christianity\], but must be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/we-are-compelled-by-reflection-to-recognize-that-god-is-not-to-be/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [Civilization and the life of nations are governed by the same laws as prevail throughout nature and organic life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/civilization-and-the-life-of-nations-are-governed-by-the-same-laws-as/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [An irrefutable proof that such single-celled primaeval animals really existed as the direct ancestors of Man, is furnished according to the fundamental law of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/an-irrefutable-proof-that-such-single-celled-primaeval-animals-really/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [The succession of individuals, connected by reproduction and belonging to a species, makes it possible for the specific form itself to last for ages.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/the-succession-of-individuals-connected-by-reproduction-and-belonging/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [The cell never acts; it reacts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/the-cell-never-acts-it-reacts/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [There is no doubt that the course and character of the feared 'European war'... will become the first world war in the full sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/there-is-no-doubt-that-the-course-and-character-of-the-feared/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [ Man is not distinguished from \[the animals\] by a special kind of soul, or by any peculiar and exclusive psychic function, but only by… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/man-is-not-distinguished-from-the-animals-by-a-special-kind-of-soul/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [Where faith commences, science ends. Both these arts of the human mind must be strictly kept apart from each other. Faith has its origin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/where-faith-commences-science-ends-both-these-arts-of-the-human-mind/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [The nucleus has to take care of the inheritance of the heritable characters, while the surrounding cytoplasm is concerned with accommodation or adaptation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/the-nucleus-has-to-take-care-of-the-inheritance-of-the-heritable/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [The whole of organic nature on our planet exists only by a relentless war of all against all. ... The raging war of interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/the-whole-of-organic-nature-on-our-planet-exists-only-by-a-relentless/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [By ecology we understand the total science of the connections of the organism to the surrounding external world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/by-ecology-we-understand-the-total-science-of-the-connections-of-the/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [Both of these branches of evolutionary science, are, in my opinion, in the closest causal connection; this arises from the reciprocal action of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/both-of-these-branches-of-evolutionary-science-are-in-my-opinion-in/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [In the course of individual development, inherited characters appear, in general, earlier than adaptive ones, and the earlier a certain character appears in ontogeny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/in-the-course-of-individual-development-inherited-characters-appear/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [ Phylogeny and ontogeny are, therefore, the two coordinated branches of morphology. Phylogeny is the developmental history \[Entwickelungsgeschichte\] of the abstract, genealogical individual; ontogeny, on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/phylogeny-and-ontogeny-are-therefore-the-two-coordinated-branches-of/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [“Thus for Haeckel, to know is not to conceptualize but to see. What nature is, is visible on its surface.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/thus-for-haeckel-to-know-is-not-to-conceptualize-but-to-see-what/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) [Explore all 30 Ernst Haeckel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) [Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I established the opposite view, that this history of the embryo (ontogeny) must be completed by a second, equally valuable, and closely connected branch of thought - the history of race (phylogeny). Both of these branches of evolutionary science, are, in my opinion, in the closest causal connection; this arises from the reciprocal action of the laws of heredity and adaptation... 'ontogenesis is a brief and rapid recapitulation of phylogenesis, determined by the physiological functions of heredity (generation) and adaptation (maintenance).", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ernst Haeckel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/i-established-the-opposite-view-that-this-history-of-the-embryo/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Action" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/i-established-the-opposite-view-that-this-history-of-the-embryo/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/ernst-haeckel-20972_action_i-established-the-opposite-view-that-thi_2436500.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/ernst-haeckel-20972_action_i-established-the-opposite-view-that-thi_2436500.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/ernst-haeckel-20972_action_i-established-the-opposite-view-that-thi_2436500.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I established the opposite view, that this history of the embryo (ontogeny) must be completed by a second…” — Ernst Haeckel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ernst Haeckel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I established the opposite view, that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/i-established-the-opposite-view-that-this-history-of-the-embryo/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/i-established-the-opposite-view-that-this-history-of-the-embryo/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```