Lorenz Oken
Lorenz Oken (August 1, 1779 – August 11, 1851) was a leading light of the nature philosopher (Naturphilosophie) movement, who speculated about the significance of life, which they believed to be derived from a vital force that could not be understood totally through scientific means. He elaborated Wolfgang von Goethe’s theory that the vertebrate skull formed gradually from the fusion of vertebrae. Although the theory was later disproved, it helped prepare a receptive atmosphere for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.