Elective affinities

"Three Essays on Haeckel and Karma" is a book 
originally published in 1914 by the London Theosophical Publishing Society. This is one of several reprint editions. The volume contains three essays by Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Anthroposophy.

The essays are very different in content, and frankly bewildering. But then, nothing about Steiner seems to be easy! The only thing tying the three pieces together are references to Ernst Haeckel, the leading German evolutionist and "Monist", whom Steiner had met on several occasions. The most curious essay is titled "Haeckel and his opponents" and sounds like a defence of materialist, non-teleological evolution against a whole range of dualist and sometimes frankly creationist critics. But why would Steiner defend Haeckel in this manner? And why would he want the piece to be translated and republished at a time when Steiner's opinions were explicitly anti-materialist and spiritual? No idea.

The two other articles are titled "The Working of Karma" and "Haeckel, `The Riddle of the Universe', and Theosophy". Here, Steiner sounds more logical. While rejecting Haeckel's materialism, Steiner nevertheless attempts to use the evolutionary perspective to bolster Anthroposophy, which was based on notions of spiritual evolution. Karma and reincarnation can easily be reconciled with evolution. While Theosophy's founder Madame Blavatsky constantly attacked Haeckel, Steiner wanted to appropriate him - perhaps a smarter tactic in Germany, where Haeckel was something of a culture icon. Still, it looks weird when Steiner is affirming precisely the teleological, spiritual and "archetypal" ideas he has just criticized in "Haeckel and his opponents"! Was the good doctor playing some kind of esoteric shell-game with Haeckel's legacy?

I'm not an expert on Haeckel, but I noticed that his "progressive" view of evolution and his "Monism" is sometimes seen as Romantic and panpsychist rather than strictly materialist. Steiner must have felt that some kind of elective affinity between Haeckelianism and evolutionary spirituality existed. Perhaps this explains Steiner's somewhat "elective" relationship with the great German scientist...