Darwinism

Abstract

Darwin's theory was an explanation of evolution with social, ethical, and political implications. To portray Darwinism as respectable objective science and social Darwinism as a pernicious political doctrine, only illicitly based on Darwinism, is wrong; Darwinism is social Darwinism. The influence of this doctrine has been pervasive, and because of this, beset with controversy. This entry is simultaneously a history of the development of Darwinism, of controversies over its validity, and of efforts to free social theory from distortions of Darwin's predictive evolutionary theory. Darwin defended competition for survival of races and individuals, and valorized “the winners.” However, Darwinists have sanitized his ideas, and disguised the imposition of “survivalist” norms and values onto scientific and social theories. However, freed from such historical distortions, important debates are revealed. It is shown how Darwinism and social Darwinism have been superseded by post‐Darwinist evolutionary theory, integrating Darwin's core insights into more complex theories. These imply a very different view of life, humanity, and society, with very different social, ethical, and political implications.