Following 1859, The Origin of Species had at last entered public consciousness. While the theories presented by Darwin were simultaneously being celebrated, condemned or challenged, it triggered a new form of self-awareness. Because Darwin initially avoided addressing the ultimate question of human evolution until The Descent of Man published in 1871, it would lead others to pursue the matter with diverse explanations. Known as the father of German Darwinism, Ernst Haeckel’s Natürliche Schöpfungsgeschichte (The History of Creation) was first published in German in 1868 and translated into English in 1876. Haeckel would confront what Darwin had eluded in the Origin with distinct social and political predispositions and influences.
To fully understand the development of German Darwinism, the 19th century German ethos must be closely examined. Crucially, “Darwinismus” (Weindling, 1989, p. 311) matured simultaneously with the unification of Germany in 1871. The transformation of Germany into a politically ‘unified’ nation would have a deep influence on the course, reception and ultimate misappropriation of Darwinian theories, indicating that “there were social reasons ... why the more radical implications of Darwin were attractive” (Bowler, 2009, p. 187). For example, the intensifying political power struggle between the Catholic Church and right-wing landowners against the rapidly rising Socialist movement caused the enormous popularisation of Darwinism. As support increased, Darwinism was used to reaffirm fundamental principles of the socialist left. Haeckel’s own writings contained “primarily liberal ideals and aspirations” (Paul, 2009, p. 237).
Indeed, Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection was widely contest...
... middle of paper ...
...fusal to confront the complex and often ambiguous nature of human history.
Works Cited
Bowler, Peter J. Evolution: The History of an Idea. University of California Press, 2009
Bowler, Peter J. Biology and Social Thought 1850-1914. University of California Press, 1993
Larson, B. The Dark Side of Nature: Science, Society, and the Fantastic, Pennsylvania State University Press, 2005
Paul, Daine B. ‘Darwin, social Darwinism and eugenics’ in Cambridge Companion to Darwin edited by Jonathon Hodge and Gregory Radick, Cambridge University Press, 2009
Reichert, J. Disciplining the Erotic-Grotesque in Edogawa Ranpo's Demon of the Lonely Isle in The Culture of Japanese Fascism edited by Alan Tansman, Duke University Press, 2009
Weindling, P. ‘Ernst Haeckel and Darwinism’ in History, Humanity and Evolution edited by James R. Moore, Cambridge University Press, 1989
Medred, Craig. "Far North Science." Into The Wild: The False Being Within —. N.p., 13 Oct. 2007. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
The. The “Challenging Darwin”. Bioscience. 2(2005). The 'Secondary' of the 'S 101, eLibrary.
Loewenberg, Bert J. "The Reaction of American Scientists to Darwinism." American Historical Review. 38 (1933): 687-701.
Bowler, Peter J. Evolution: The History of an Idea. London: University of California Press, 1989.
Charles Darwin, the Father of Evolution, was a British scientist who laid the foundations of the theory of evolution, transforming the thinking of the entire world about the living things around us (Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882)). After working on his theory for nearly 20 years, he published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. As soon as the book was released, the controversy began with each sides gaining followers until the climax on July 10, 1925. The idea that animals could “evolve” and change into new species, including humans, was one that challenged not only how people thought about the natural world, but challenged the story of the creation from the Bible itself. Even though Darwin himself never said that humans “evolved” from apes, everyone took it as a logical extension of his new theory. It went against the idea of argument for design that had unified theology and science for decades (Moran 5). This new threat to Christianity and the social culture of the time was one that would transform state laws on their educational curriculum.
Jonathan Judaken. Review of Weikart, Richard, From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany. H-Ideas, H-Net Reviews. June, 2005.
Lennox, James. "Darwinism." Stanford University. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2010 Edition). , 13 Aug. 2004. Web. 12 May 2014.
Darwin, Charles, and David Quammen. On the Origin of Species. New York: Sterling, 2008. 349. Print.
Most people believe that Social Darwinism is a term that can only be applied to people’s race, and for most well known social Darwinism theories this is true. The basis of these theories is always revolved around the term survival of the fittest. Darwin works where to do with animals and how animal species have ada...
One Long Argument: Charles Darwin and the Genesis or Modern Evolutionary Thought. Ernst Mayr. Harvard University Press, 1993.
The concept of Social Darwinism was a widely accepted theory in the nineteenth-century. Various intellectual, and political figures from each side of the political spectrum grasped the theory and interpreted it in various ways. In this paper, we will discuss three different nineteenth-century thinkers and their conception of Social Darwinism. The conservative, Heinrich von Treitschke, and liberal Herbert Spencer both gave arguments on the usefulness of competition between people on a global scale. The anarchist, Peter Kropotkin, refuted the belief of constant competition among members of the same species and emphasized mutual aid.
Darwin, Charles. From The Origin of Species. New York: P.F. Collier and Son Corporation, 1937. 71-86; 497-506.
Wiester, John L. 1993. The Real Meaning of Evolution. Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 45 (3): 182-86.
Klin, Candyce. “Darwinism as A Cultural Issue” Cedar Crest College, 2 June 2001. Web. 17