CHAPTER 21 



ON THE QUESTION OF BAER'S THEORETICAL VIEWS 



For the exhaustive characteristics of Baer's views, it 

 is necessary to consider all his papers and correspondence 

 with regard to published and archival materials. This task 

 is a matter for the future. Until now, discussions of Baer's 

 theoretical views as a rule have been limited to evaluation 

 of his scientific work. Therefore, all opinions up to the 

 present about Baer's philosophical views have made a common 

 mistake, for which the authors cannot always be blamed. Their 

 errors could result in part from the fact that Baer was 

 sometimes undoubtedly forced to present his thoughts in a 

 form adapted to the censors' requirements of his time. As 

 for articles published in the Russian language, the possibility 

 must also be considered that the translation from the German 

 original, as it was written by Baer, was misrepresented. 



But regardless of these circumstances, the well-founded 

 discussion about Baer's methodical views is difficult to 

 dispute. The spiritual personality of the great naturalist 

 was too complicated and multifaceted to determine the essence 

 of his views easily and at the same time to state the changes 

 which were made during his long years of scientific activity. 



Baer did not avoid stating his opinions concerning 

 general questions, beginning with the earliest work, such as 

 the article "Two Words on the Recent Condition of Natural 

 History,"! and ending with the general philosophical conclu- 

 sions of SPEECHES AND ARTICLES (1864-1876). In striving 

 for a description of Baer's theoretical views, one must turn 

 to his own discussions on the general questions of philosophy 



1. K, E. v. Baer, "Zwei Worte uber den jetzigen Zustand der 

 Naturgeschichte," Vortage bei Gelegenheit der Errichtung 

 eines zoologischen Museums in Konigsberg (1821) , 48 pp. 



489 



