Ernst Haeckel's Controversial Visual Rhetoric
P. Dombrowski. 2003. Technical communication quarterly 12:303-319.
"Haeckel was a fascinating German scientist, philosopher, and
advocate of social Darwinism who sought to reinvent science as the basis
of all knowledge and best
guide for human activities. His monistic and
vitalistic philosophy of science influence later German holistic science
and Nazi pseudoscience. Recent research reveals several of his most
famous illustrations, of embryos of various animals that are still
published today, to be incorrect and probably knowingly so. The complex
rhetorical connection between theory and visual support is revealed, as
creationist critics contend that the falsity of the visuals implies the
refutation of evolution. We see that our decisions made in crafting
illustrations carry serious rhetorical and ethical implications for
various audiences."