The Rudolf Steiner Archive

18. Haeckel’s Riddle of the Universe and Theosophy

[ 1 ] Theosophy is a peacemaker, and its second principle—to find the seeds of truth in all worldviews—should apply not only to the past but especially to the present as well.

[ 2 ] Haeckel’s *The Riddle of the Universe* now sets out to address the great question of existence. The sensation this book has caused is, first and foremost, a sign of the interest in this question. However, the book is entirely rooted in materialism. If theosophy is to be a way of life, it must grapple with such facts.

[ 3 ] What role does the author play in modern intellectual life? A bold spirit has revealed itself in this work. For a decade, Ernst Haeckel has exerted a major influence on modern intellectual life. He was one of the first to embrace Darwinism, boldly and courageously taking it to its ultimate conclusions.

[ 4 ] Let us first consider Haeckelianism and Darwinism. Everything that comes from Haeckel is thoroughly worked out; it is the result of his own research. But how are we to assess the conclusions drawn from his scientific views? Human beings are confined between birth and death; they are merely higher animals. After death, there is no further existence. Scientific materialism is a way of thinking from the previous century, but it is not a consequence of Darwinism. Haeckel saw Goethe as his precursor. Goethe discovered in humans the intermediate jawbone that Haeckel had inferred and sought. To Haeckel, this was proof of the truth of the kinship between humans and higher animals. — Even as a Privy Councilor, he stood among the students in Jena for this very purpose.

[ 5 ] Haeckel incorporated his materialism into his Darwinism. Over the past decade, Haeckel’s views have been severely shaken. Haeckel established the theory of the kinship of apes. Now he concludes: One must be descended from the other. For example: Let us suppose there are two brothers. One is a scoundrel, the other a moral person. They both have the same ancestors. One develops downward, the other upward. Once upon a time, there was only one species with the potential to develop in both directions. That was Haeckel’s hasty conclusion.

[ 6 ] There is nothing more useful today than studying the secret language of nature. Setting aside a few minor shortcomings, the first 30 pages of Haeckel’s book are of great importance.

[ 7 ] Puzzle Questions:

1. What gave rise to matter and energy?
2. How did motion come about?
3. Where did life come from?
4. Where did the concept of purposefulness come from?
5. How could consciousness arise?
6. How did language arise? (There must be underlying laws.)
7. How does this reconcile with free will?

[ 8 ] Haeckel says: There is no need to ask about matter and energy; they have always been there. Movement and life have also always been there; expediency has prevailed. — He simply denies free will.

[ 9 ] Theosophy makes this clear to us in another way. Let us consider sleep through its lens. What lies within the human being at that moment? Life is present, but there is no capacity for perception. The soul has two directions: one toward the lower realm, and one toward the higher, the Devachanic realm. Right now, the soul within us is still like a baby, but it will develop, become increasingly richly structured, and grow upward toward the Divine. Occultism fosters this development. Through it, the higher world is experienced. That which lives as spirit shines into the darkness of the night.

[ 10 ] What Haeckel lacks is this: he explores the concept of evolution only in the past, rather than extending it into the future as well. In this way, theosophy will bring Haeckel’s ideas to fruition.

[ 11 ] We should learn from it, but not criticize it. Force and matter are nothing but crystallized spirit; figuratively speaking, they behave like ice and water. Matter is not real; it is merely spirit in another form. Take coal, for example. What is it? Stone—and millions of years ago, it was a growing fir tree. The living has become the lifeless. The entire Earth’s crust was formed from living matter.

[ 12 ] The origin of all things lies in the Universal Consciousness. The question should not be: How did spirit arise from motion? Rather, the reverse: How did motion arise from spirit? The religion of the materialists is nothing other than fetishism. The atom is a fetish. The worst superstition is belief in the atom—true fetishism. Haeckel says: “For us, God is in every atom. That is matter in motion.” There is a grain of truth in this, for God’s spirit lives in every atom. Only the materialist regards matter as the primary reality. For the theosophist, God is spread throughout the entire world: Theosophy strives to draw all beings upward toward God. In this way, it deifies and spiritualizes the world.