Anthroposophy and Ecofascism 82

Continuing my commentary on the 25th paragraph of Peter Staudenmaier's Anthroposophy and Ecofascism.

Rudolf Steiner also valued Haeckel's specifically scientific work, including Haeckel's General Morphology. Two quotes from among many will illustrate this. In a 1916 lecture Steiner said:

Here I should like to state emphatically that I cherish the same high respect today for Haeckel's magnificent scientific achievements within the cosmic scheme, proper to natural science, as I did years ago. I still believe and always have believed that a correct appreciation of Haeckel's achievements is the best means of transcending a certain one-sidedness in his views. It is entirely intelligible that he could not attain to this insight himself. (Steiner, Rudolf. Human Life in the Light of Spiritual Science. Liestal, October 16, 1916.GA 35 )

This reiterates a continual theme in Steiner's work. In 1908 he said essentially the same thing in another lecture:

Haeckel does not err when explaining by the laws of materialistic morphology phenomena of which he has exceptional knowledge; if he had confined himself to a certain category of phenomena he could have performed an enormous service to humanity. (Steiner, Rudolf. Macrocosm and Microcosm. London: Rudolf Steiner Press, 1968. Pages 150-165. Lecture 9, of March 29th, 1910. )