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Lesson: Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny


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Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny

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The true teacher knows that one good teaching moment is worth a dozen dog days.

Some teach 10 miles wide and one inch deep, while others stay narrow but dig in beneath the surface. Feel free to stay with a topic if you find it interesting. Remember that a textbook or curriculum guide is just that - a general guide. You won't fall into highway hypnosis, getting bored from your own lessons if you follow your passion.

The best thing about being engaged in your own material is that you are modeling how to have a good life, once again. Your students will see that you love it. Don't worry about passing on your love of that particular lesson content - what you always pass on is your love of learning itself. Your students will pick out what content they want to fall in love with. You just need to stay passionate about your own favorite topics.

So, don't be afraid to go deeper on a topic that motivates YOU. If they follow you at all, keep going. And be confident in this: The whole of all wisdom can be found in the study of the smallest part.

That is the subject of the next lesson. It can be said many ways: as above, so below - the whole is in the part - ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. As William Blake put it, "To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand. And Eternity in an hour ...".

And remember to have fun.

Ontogeny is the life of one. You. Ontogeny is your life. Phylogeny is the life of the many - specifically the life of the many species or phylos. Recapitulates means 'relives' or 'redoes'. So this lesson is about how your individual life relives the life of all of the other species. An example of this would be that that sometimes you are reliving the heart of the lion, sometimes the quickness of thought of a bird, and sometimes the strong will of the oxen.

TASK: Write a quiz question in reMember Mate® about the meaning of the phrase Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny.

reMember Mate®

The term Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny was coined in the 1800s by a biologist who was a bit premature in jumping to a conclusion without making careful enough observations. He claimed that he saw the human fetus (ontogeny) go through stages that looked like various animals (phylogeny). Because he analyzed when he should have remained in observation mode, he was discredited. We are going to use his idea, however. Let's see if we can observe humans very carefully - then offer some analysis that stands on firm ground.

As Above, So Below
I am going to borrow the idea of ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny and extend it. I claim that it is true. I claim further that it is far more true than the biology of the 1800's ever knew. They thought that the small human did not recapitulate the life of all of the phylos on the huge tree of species overarching the human. I think that not only does one human relive the life of the many - but that this principle is true throughout nature. I believe that every time you see a smaller part of nature under a larger grouping of parts ... ontogeny does recapitulate phylogeny! I believe that the way of the whole of nature above is also the way of each part of nature below. This principle comes from ancient times and is said easily in the phrase, As Above, So Below.

But what I believe doesn't matter. So now I'll show you the observations that made me form these conclusions. I don't ever want you to jump to a conclusion or ananlysis - so let's look at some lessons I've learned that made me question what I had been taught. Your job? See if these lessons sound like something you can feel in your heart. See if these observations speak to you.

TASK: Write a quiz question in reMember Mate® about the meaning of the phrase As Above, So Below.

reMember Mate®

Bruce Lipton and a new look at cells.

TASK: Open this short essay on The Wisdom of Your Cells by Dr. Bruce Lipton. Keep it open.
Write a quiz question in reMember Mate® on one of Dr. Lipton's ideas.

reMember Mate®

Holograms are another way to see that Ontogeny Recaptulates Phylogeny, as Dr. Henri Bortoft shows in his cool book, The Wholeness of Nature. A hologram is a 3 dimensional image. Let's say you develop a holographic image on a glass plate and get ready to project light through to make a 3-D image in space. But then you accidentally drop the glass plate. You can pick up a piece of the glass and you will be able to project the whole 3-D image! This is because the whole is in every part.

Dr. Bortoft says that Nature is Holographic. He shows how a leaf holds the image of the whole tree in its structure. In fact sometimes you can regenerate the tree by sprouting a leaf. Just plant it in water. Entire animals have been cloned from a small piece of DNA.

TASK: Open this short essay on The Wholeness of Nature by Dr. Henri Bortoft. Keep it open.
Write a quiz question in reMember Mate® on one of Dr. Bortoft's ideas.

reMember Mate®

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Masters of Transformation

Here are 3 masters of transformation who have changed humankind forever. More than many others, they helped to change the way we think - the way we perceive - and the way we look at our world.

TASK: Open this short biography of Pythagoras. Keep it open.
Write a quiz question in reMember Mate® about him.

reMember Mate®

TASK: Open this short biography of Shakespeare. Keep it open.
Write a quiz question in reMember Mate® about him.

reMember Mate®

TASK: Open this short biography of Euclid. Keep it open.
Write a quiz question in reMember Mate® about him.

reMember Mate®


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