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Ernst Haeckel's Controversial Visual Rhetoric.

By Bates, Christine
Publication: Technical Communication
Date: Sunday, August 1 2004

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."

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