Metamorphosis is the result of a lifetime of biological research seeking to penetrate through the phenomena to the formative principles that have shaped them. Following Goethe's participatory method, and drawing on his observations on a number of continents, Andreas Suchantke shows how the development and evolution of plants and animals can be understood in terms of metamorphosis. Through his eyes, we come to see evolution as a dynamic process that unfolds on a far more fundamental level than Darwin's natural selection. In the age of stem-cell research, Suchantke's insights into the formation of organisms as integrated wholes offer a much-needed complement to the findings of conventional genetics and microbiology.

Beautifully illustrated by the author's drawings and color photographs. This masterly work offers a rich, dynamic and deeply meaningful understanding of organic life.