William Emerson Ritter
Encyclopedia
William Emerson Ritter, Ph.D. (1856–1944) was an American biologist. Ritter initiated and shaped the Marine Biological Association of San Diego (now Scripps Institution of Oceanography
) and the American Society for the Dissemination of Science (now the Society for Science and the Public and Science News
). Innovative and entrepreneurial, with a deep desire for human service, he worked tirelessly to educate people in science thinking. He was the first biologist to propose a theory of systems, and seems to be the originator of the term organicism
for biological purposes.
. His parents, Horatio and Leonora Ritter, moved from New York a few years earlier. The Ritter household included William, his brother Frank, his sisters Mary, Ella, and Flora, and his maternal grandparents, Nathan and Ruby Eason. For the first few years of his life his paternal grandparents, Ezra and Mary Ritter, were also living in the area. The family worked hard on the farm, cultivating corn, wheat, potatoes, apples, and other crops.
Early correspondence shows that he always liked school, and was always seeking meaning—seeking to do something with his life. In 1876, he had the chance to attend high school in Columbus, Wisconsin, which had opened that year. Like many youth, he struggled with what to do with his life. After attending a year of high school, he began to teach at a Hampden school, while continuing his studies. In 1879, he attended college at the Oshkosh Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh). He left there after only one year due to financial reasons, and took a job teaching in Columbus, Wisconsin
. He hoped to earn enough money to go back to college.
In 1881, he took a job as a teacher in Oconto, Wisconsin
. There, he continued to read voraciously, and had a particular attraction for science. It was here that he started to develop a passion for helping people understand science. He believed that science was the key to the future of society, and that if people could be taught to think with the reasoned, thoughtful, unbiased critical perspective of science, that much suffering in the world could be alleviated.
, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley
. Ritter was so impressed by the book, and its thoughtful, unbiased perspectives, that he made the decision to go to the University of California and study with Joseph LeConte
. He graduated with a teaching certificate from Oshkosh in 1884, and then moved to California to finish his BA at the University.
Ritter needed to earn money for school, and so became a schoolteacher and tutor to pay for his tuition. After a few years of alternatively taking classes and teaching to earn money, he graduated with his BA in 1888. The next year he received a scholarship to go to Harvard University
for his MA and Ph.D. in zoology.
He spent a few summers at Marine Laboratories, and in 1891 was given a job teaching biology at the University of California in Berkeley.
Joseph LeConte
was the chair of all the scientific fields at the university. In the fall of 1891, following the growing trend of science specialization, the science department was divided into four departments, and Ritter was appointed the chair of the new zoology department.
It was also in 1891 that he married a Berkeley physician, Mary Bennett.
Ritter was chosen to be among the elite scientists of the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition
. Chosen for his knowledge of marine biology in general and marine invertebrates in particular, he accompanied the group of scientists on their exploration of Alaska.
Consequently, his plan to teach marine biology was to actually take his students to the ocean so they could study living creatures in their natural environment. He wanted to set up a permanent laboratory to study the biology along the Pacific coast, as well as be a "classroom" for his students.
Ritter searched for eleven years for an appropriate place for a permanent marine biological laboratory. He spent summers at various places along the coast with students. His goal was frustrated by lack of money and lack of an appropriate place.
Then, in 1903 Ritter was introduced to newspaper magnate E. W. Scripps
. Together with Scripps' half-sister, Ellen Browning Scripps
, they formed the Marine Biological Association of San Diego with Ritter as the Scientific Director. Two years later, they arranged for the purchase of a 170 acre (0.6879662 km²) site in La Jolla, north of San Diego (the same site where the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
is today).
Scripps paid for continuing projects of Ritter. By 1907 they were constructing the first laboratory on the site.
After World War I, Scripps and Ritter became convinced that nations needed a forum to rationally work out their differences, rather than going to war. They became great advocates for the League of Nations
, believing it could be an alternative to war.
Both Ritter and Scripps believed that science had become too parochial. Many scientists had no desire to solve human problems or even share their insights with the laity. Many scientists felt that sharing their scientific discoveries with the popular media would somehow soil their pure discovery. Ritter and Scripps, on the other hand, believed that it was critical to share these scientific discoveries, and by doing so, would help people to "think like a scientist"—with a reasoned thoughtfulness. By the end of 1920, Ritter and Scripps had come to the conclusion that a newspaper would be the best avenue for sharing these scientific discoveries. With Scripps funding, and Ritter as the scientific director, they started the Science Service in Washington DC, using a newspaper format (now Science News) to share science information and discoveries.
, which believed that there is no essential difference between a rock and a human life—it's simply a matter of the chemistry involved. If all the chemical reactions were known, we would understand what makes life. The mechanists were fond of saying things like, "the brain secretes thoughts in the same way that the kidneys secrete urine."
On the other hand, the school of thought called vitalism
said that there was something different in life than in non-life. There was a vital force—a spiritual force—that made life. Rocks did not have the vital force. Humans did. The vitalists and the mechanists entered endless debates and wrote endless papers advocating their perspective.
According to Ernst Mayr
, Ritter introduced the third school of thought: organicism. While the term "organicism" had been used before, Ritter was the first to use it for biological purposes and to create a theory of it. Organicism believed that life was interrelationships between living things, living in a complex web. Today, organicism might be called systems theory
. In 1918, Ritter wrote his organicist tome, The Unity of the Organism, which he believed was his magnum opus.
The University of California awarded him the Doctor of Laws degree in 1933.7 He continued to be a tireless advocate of evolution, science education, and human service. He continued to write, finishing his last published book, The California Woodpecker and I, at the age of 81. At the time of his death, on January 10, 1944 he had 5 book-length unpublished manuscripts written, and parts of many other books and articles. 8 His literary executor, Edna Bailey, consolidated his manuscripts and published sections of them, posthumously, under the title Charles Darwin and the Golden Rule.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and earth science research, graduate training, and public service in the world...
) and the American Society for the Dissemination of Science (now the Society for Science and the Public and Science News
Science News
Science News is an American bi-weekly magazine devoted to short articles about new scientific and technical developments, typically gleaned from recent scientific and technical journals. Science News has been published since 1922 by Society for Science & the Public, a non-profit organization...
). Innovative and entrepreneurial, with a deep desire for human service, he worked tirelessly to educate people in science thinking. He was the first biologist to propose a theory of systems, and seems to be the originator of the term organicism
Organicism
Organicism is a philosophical orientation that asserts that reality is best understood as an organic whole. By definition it is close to holism. Plato, Hobbes or Constantin Brunner are examples of such philosophical thought....
for biological purposes.
Early life
William Emerson Ritter was born on a farm on November 21, 1856 in Hampden township, Columbia County, WisconsinColumbia County, Wisconsin
-Unincorporated communities:*Anacker*Belle Fountain*Durwards Glen*East Friesland*Harmony Grove*Ingle*Keyeser*Lake Wisconsin*Leeds*Lowville*Marcellon*North Leeds*Okee*Otsego-External links:***...
. His parents, Horatio and Leonora Ritter, moved from New York a few years earlier. The Ritter household included William, his brother Frank, his sisters Mary, Ella, and Flora, and his maternal grandparents, Nathan and Ruby Eason. For the first few years of his life his paternal grandparents, Ezra and Mary Ritter, were also living in the area. The family worked hard on the farm, cultivating corn, wheat, potatoes, apples, and other crops.
Early correspondence shows that he always liked school, and was always seeking meaning—seeking to do something with his life. In 1876, he had the chance to attend high school in Columbus, Wisconsin, which had opened that year. Like many youth, he struggled with what to do with his life. After attending a year of high school, he began to teach at a Hampden school, while continuing his studies. In 1879, he attended college at the Oshkosh Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh). He left there after only one year due to financial reasons, and took a job teaching in Columbus, Wisconsin
Columbus, Wisconsin
Columbus is a city in Columbia and Dodge Counties in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 4,991 at the 2010 census. Columbus is located about northeast of Madison on the Crawfish River. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. He hoped to earn enough money to go back to college.
In 1881, he took a job as a teacher in Oconto, Wisconsin
Oconto, Wisconsin
Oconto is a city in Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,708 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located partially within the town of Oconto.-History:...
. There, he continued to read voraciously, and had a particular attraction for science. It was here that he started to develop a passion for helping people understand science. He believed that science was the key to the future of society, and that if people could be taught to think with the reasoned, thoughtful, unbiased critical perspective of science, that much suffering in the world could be alleviated.
Education and Early Professional Years
Ritter went back to college in Oshkosh. While he was there, he read a geology textbook by Joseph LeConteJoseph LeConte
Joseph Le Conte was an American geologist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley.-Biography:...
, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. Ritter was so impressed by the book, and its thoughtful, unbiased perspectives, that he made the decision to go to the University of California and study with Joseph LeConte
Joseph LeConte
Joseph Le Conte was an American geologist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley.-Biography:...
. He graduated with a teaching certificate from Oshkosh in 1884, and then moved to California to finish his BA at the University.
Ritter needed to earn money for school, and so became a schoolteacher and tutor to pay for his tuition. After a few years of alternatively taking classes and teaching to earn money, he graduated with his BA in 1888. The next year he received a scholarship to go to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
for his MA and Ph.D. in zoology.
He spent a few summers at Marine Laboratories, and in 1891 was given a job teaching biology at the University of California in Berkeley.
Joseph LeConte
Joseph LeConte
Joseph Le Conte was an American geologist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley.-Biography:...
was the chair of all the scientific fields at the university. In the fall of 1891, following the growing trend of science specialization, the science department was divided into four departments, and Ritter was appointed the chair of the new zoology department.
It was also in 1891 that he married a Berkeley physician, Mary Bennett.
Ritter was chosen to be among the elite scientists of the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition
Harriman Alaska Expedition
In 1899, wealthy railroad magnate Edward Harriman arranged for a maritime expedition to Alaska. Harriman brought with him an elite community of scientists, artists, photographers, and naturalists to explore and document the Alaskan coast...
. Chosen for his knowledge of marine biology in general and marine invertebrates in particular, he accompanied the group of scientists on their exploration of Alaska.
Searching for a Place for a California Marine Laboratory
In the science of the day, the prevailing view was that everything of value could be studied in a laboratory. So, for example, if a biologist wanted to study the vision of a frog, the eyeball of the frog would be taken to the laboratory for dissection and study under a microscope. Going against this prevailing view, Ritter believed that it was more important to study living things in their natural environment.Consequently, his plan to teach marine biology was to actually take his students to the ocean so they could study living creatures in their natural environment. He wanted to set up a permanent laboratory to study the biology along the Pacific coast, as well as be a "classroom" for his students.
Ritter searched for eleven years for an appropriate place for a permanent marine biological laboratory. He spent summers at various places along the coast with students. His goal was frustrated by lack of money and lack of an appropriate place.
Then, in 1903 Ritter was introduced to newspaper magnate E. W. Scripps
E. W. Scripps
Edward Willis Scripps , was an American newspaper publisher and founder of The E. W. Scripps Company, a diversified media conglomerate, and United Press news service. It became United Press International when International News Service merged with United Press in 1958. The E. W...
. Together with Scripps' half-sister, Ellen Browning Scripps
Ellen Browning Scripps
Ellen Browning Scripps was an American philanthropist who was the founding donor of several major institutions in Southern California.-Biography:...
, they formed the Marine Biological Association of San Diego with Ritter as the Scientific Director. Two years later, they arranged for the purchase of a 170 acre (0.6879662 km²) site in La Jolla, north of San Diego (the same site where the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and earth science research, graduate training, and public service in the world...
is today).
The Ritter-Scripps Partnership
Ritter and Scripps became good friends as well as business partners. It seemed to be an odd couple, as Ritter was kind, quiet, and scholarly, and Scripps was opinionated and boisterous, a self-described "damned old crank." Scripps, however, continued to push Ritter to make biology more practical. They came to believe that since people were biological animals, then biology ought to have some insights into human behavior and human motivation.Scripps paid for continuing projects of Ritter. By 1907 they were constructing the first laboratory on the site.
After World War I, Scripps and Ritter became convinced that nations needed a forum to rationally work out their differences, rather than going to war. They became great advocates for the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, believing it could be an alternative to war.
Both Ritter and Scripps believed that science had become too parochial. Many scientists had no desire to solve human problems or even share their insights with the laity. Many scientists felt that sharing their scientific discoveries with the popular media would somehow soil their pure discovery. Ritter and Scripps, on the other hand, believed that it was critical to share these scientific discoveries, and by doing so, would help people to "think like a scientist"—with a reasoned thoughtfulness. By the end of 1920, Ritter and Scripps had come to the conclusion that a newspaper would be the best avenue for sharing these scientific discoveries. With Scripps funding, and Ritter as the scientific director, they started the Science Service in Washington DC, using a newspaper format (now Science News) to share science information and discoveries.
Organicism
One of the great biological controversies of the day was "what is life?" One school of thought was mechanismMechanism (philosophy)
Mechanism is the belief that natural wholes are like machines or artifacts, composed of parts lacking any intrinsic relationship to each other, and with their order imposed from without. Thus, the source of an apparent thing's activities is not the whole itself, but its parts or an external...
, which believed that there is no essential difference between a rock and a human life—it's simply a matter of the chemistry involved. If all the chemical reactions were known, we would understand what makes life. The mechanists were fond of saying things like, "the brain secretes thoughts in the same way that the kidneys secrete urine."
On the other hand, the school of thought called vitalism
Vitalism
Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is#a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from biochemical reactions...
said that there was something different in life than in non-life. There was a vital force—a spiritual force—that made life. Rocks did not have the vital force. Humans did. The vitalists and the mechanists entered endless debates and wrote endless papers advocating their perspective.
According to Ernst Mayr
Ernst Mayr
Ernst Walter Mayr was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists. He was also a renowned taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, historian of science, and naturalist...
, Ritter introduced the third school of thought: organicism. While the term "organicism" had been used before, Ritter was the first to use it for biological purposes and to create a theory of it. Organicism believed that life was interrelationships between living things, living in a complex web. Today, organicism might be called systems theory
Systems theory
Systems theory is the transdisciplinary study of systems in general, with the goal of elucidating principles that can be applied to all types of systems at all nesting levels in all fields of research...
. In 1918, Ritter wrote his organicist tome, The Unity of the Organism, which he believed was his magnum opus.
Later years
He continued his study and science advocacy into his later years. He continued to explore the question that E.W. Scripps gave to him, "What is this damned human animal, anyway?" He continued to explore human nature, from a philosophically zoological point of view.The University of California awarded him the Doctor of Laws degree in 1933.7 He continued to be a tireless advocate of evolution, science education, and human service. He continued to write, finishing his last published book, The California Woodpecker and I, at the age of 81. At the time of his death, on January 10, 1944 he had 5 book-length unpublished manuscripts written, and parts of many other books and articles. 8 His literary executor, Edna Bailey, consolidated his manuscripts and published sections of them, posthumously, under the title Charles Darwin and the Golden Rule.
Important Works
- Ritter, W.E. (1905, May). Organization in scientific research. Popular Science, 67, 49-53.
- Ritter, W.E. (1909, March). Life from a biologist's standpoint. Popular Science Monthly, 75, 174-190.
- Ritter, W.E. (1917). Biology's contribution to a system of morals that would be adequate for modern civilization. Bulletin of the Scripps Institution for Biological Research of the University of California 2, 1-8.
- Ritter, W.E. (1918). The higher usefulness of science. Boston, MA: Gorham Press.
- Ritter, W.E. (1919). The unity of the organism, or the organismal conception of life. Boston, MA: Gorham Press.
- Ritter, W.E. (1923). Why teach science at all? Journal of the National Education Association of the United States, 12, 854-856.
- Ritter, W.E. (1924). The move to prevent the teaching of evolution in the public schools of California. School and Society, 20 (December 6), 729-731.
- Ritter, W.E. (1936). The California woodpecker and I: A study in comparative zoology, in which are set forth numerous facts and reflections by one of us about both of us. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
- Ritter, W.E. & Bailey, E. (1954). Charles Darwin and the golden rule. New York: Storm Publishers.
External links
- Guide to the William E. Ritter Papers at The Bancroft Library