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Our understanding of life on earth is always developing. In this age of genetics and microbiology, the author brings a lifetime of holistic biological research to the question of the development and evolution of plants and animals.
Following Goethe's participatory method, and drawing on his observation on a number of continents, Suchantke presents evolution as an integrated dynamic process that unfolds on a far more fundamental level than Darwin's natural selection.
Introduction: Metamorphosis--Evolution in Action
1. Archetype and Evolution--a Contradiction?
2. An Example of Metamorphosis: Goethe's Idea of the Vertebral Nature of the Cranial Bones
3. "From top to bottom the plant is all leaf." Formative Tendencies in the Domain of the Leaf
4. The Blossom
5. Interim Summary: Metamorphoses--the Key to Understanding the Nature of Life
6. The Various Forms of Metamorphosis in the Plant Kingdom
7. Polarity and Threefold Organization: The Dynamics of Metamorphosis
8. Polarity and Threefold Structure in the Animal Kingdom
9. The Archetype in Action
10. The All-pervasive Endoskeleton
11. The Fate of Exoskeleton and Endoskeleton in the Further Course of Evolution
Andreas Suchantke was born in Basle, Switzerland, in 1933. After studying zoology and botany, he taught life sciences at the Rudolf Steiner School in Zurich and became involved with teacher training. He has published several books in German about landscape and culture, with the theme of metamorphosis running throughout his work.
'This remarkable, exquisitely illustrated study of the plant and animals worlds contains many fascinating bits of information ... But the book is not just a catalogue of interesting facts. It is an invitation to view the world of nature -- plants, animals, and the human being -- in a new way. Metamorphosis is an engaging, thought-provoking synthesis of science, art, and philosophy that will appeal to any reader of high school age and above -- student, teacher, parent, scientist, artist -- anyone with an interest in the world in which we live ... Metamorphosis is a challenging book ... for all enquiring minds, the book is a valuable scientific and artistic resource and an invitation to a new level of respect and love for and wonder at the world of nature.' -- Ronald Koetzsch, Renewal: A Journal for Waldorf Education, Spring/Summer 2010
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