▁( H eg el ) ▁that ▁neg ate ▁life ▁rather ▁than ▁support ▁it ▁and ▁used ▁for ▁political ▁ends ▁( Mar x ism ). ▁ ▁The ▁Ide a ▁of ▁the ▁living ▁principle ▁ ▁Prior ▁to ▁F ichte ' s ▁writ ings , ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁life ▁as ▁a ▁power ▁and ▁principle ▁independent ▁of ▁and ▁not ▁redu cible ▁to ▁matter ▁or ▁subst ance ▁had ▁been ▁put ▁forward ▁in ▁England ▁and ▁Scotland ▁in ▁the ▁mid - 1 7 0 0 s , ▁by ▁the ▁phil os opher , ▁Thomas ▁Re id ▁and ▁John ▁Hunter ▁( sur geon ), ▁a ▁highly ▁influ ential ▁an atom ist ▁and ▁sur geon ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁an ▁observ ational ▁scient ist ▁in ▁the ▁true ▁Ba con ian ▁tradition . ▁Hunter ▁rest ed ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁the ▁life ▁principle ▁on ▁solid ▁observation ▁of ▁nature . ▁For ▁him , ▁an atom y ▁and ▁structure , ▁matter ▁and ▁form ▁were ▁simply ▁outer ▁expressions ▁of ▁a ▁vital ▁dynamics . ▁ ▁This ▁idea ▁found ▁a ▁re cept ive ▁soil ▁in ▁German ▁philosophy ▁and ▁ec lect ic ▁medicine , ▁as ▁represented ▁by ▁Christoph ▁H uf eland ▁( 1 7 6 2 – 1 8 3 6 ), ▁which ▁had ▁developed ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁a ▁life ▁force ▁or ▁energy ▁( L eb ensk raft ) ▁ ▁as ▁well , ▁but ▁one ▁that ▁had ▁remained ▁largely ▁spec ulative ▁or ▁met ap hor ical . ▁In ▁ 1 7 8 1 , ▁Johan ▁Friedrich ▁Bl umen bach , ▁a ▁natural ▁phil os opher ▁and ▁research er ▁published ▁his ▁thoughts ▁regarding