Relationship to man and to the universe: Karel Weigner and his ideological interdependence with Ernst Haeckel
Abstract
In the period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, two persons were active in the Czech and German science scene who have significantly influenced the development and reflection of racial theories and eugenics. At first glance, it might seem that the ideological orientations of the zoologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) and the anatomist Karl Weigner (1874-1937) are completely opposed to each other.
On the other hand, despite the generational difference, many similarities can be found: both were physicians, both were proponents of evolutionary science, both - in terms of scientific illustration - were artistically gifted, both were members of Masonic lodges. Weigner's positive reception of Haeckel, but also his criticism of Ernst Haeckel's Darwinian naturphilosophical monistic worldview, is intertwined with his advocacy of a new relationship between body and corporeality, i.e. the comprehensive care of the individual body which will form the basis of a healthy and strong nation.