Social effects of evolutionary theory
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The social effects of evolutionary thought have been considerable. As the scientific explanation of life's diversity has developed, it has often displaced alternative, sometimes very widely held, explanations. Because the theory of evolution includes an explanation of humanity's origins, it has had a profound impact on human societies. Some have vigorously denied acceptance of the scientific explanation due to its perceived religious implications (e.g. its implied rejection of the special creation of humans presumably described in the Bible). This has led to a vigorous conflict between creation and evolution in public education, primarily in the United States.
Evolution and ethics
The theory of evolution by natural selection has also been adopted as a foundation for various ethical and social systems, such as social Darwinism, an idea that preceded the publication of The Origin of Species, popular in the 19th century, which holds that "the survival of the fittest" (a phrase coined in 1851 by Herbert Spencer,[1] 8 years before Darwin published his theory of evolution) explains and justifies differences in wealth and success among societies and people. A similar interpretation was one created by Darwin's cousin, Francis Galton, known as eugenics, which claimed that human civilization was subverting natural selection by allowing the less bright and less healthy to survive and out-breed the smarter and more healthy.
Later advocates of this theory suggested radical and often coercive social measures in an attempt to "correct" this imbalance.
In his book
The notion that humans share ancestors with other animals has also affected how some people view the relationship between humans and other species. Many proponents of animal rights hold that if animals and humans are of the same nature, then rights cannot be distinct to humans.
Charles Darwin, in fact, considered "
As man advances in civilization, and small tribes are united into larger communities, the simplest reason would tell each individual that he ought to extend his social instincts and sympathies to all the members of the same nation, though personally unknown to him. This point being once reached, there is only an artificial barrier to prevent his sympathies extending to the men of all nations and races. If, indeed, such men are separated from him by great differences in appearance or habits, experience unfortunately shows us how long it is, before we look at them as our fellow-creatures. ... This virtue, one of the noblest with which man is endowed, seems to arise incidentally from our sympathies becoming more tender and more widely diffused, until they are extended to all sentient beings. As soon as this virtue is honored and practiced by some few men, it spreads through instruction and example to the young, and eventually becomes incorporated in public opinion.
— Charles Darwin; The Descent of Man, 1871
Evolution and religion
Before Darwin's argument and presentation of the evidence for evolution, Western
In response to the wide scientific acceptance of the theory of evolution, many religions have formally or informally synthesized the scientific and religious viewpoints. Several important 20th century scientists (
Evolution and the Roman Catholic Church
The
In an October 22, 1996, address to the
Islamic views on evolution
Jewish views on evolution
Evolutionary theory and the political left
In 1861 Karl Marx wrote to his friend Ferdinand Lassalle, "Darwin’s work is most important and suits my purpose in that it provides a basis in natural science for the historical class struggle. ... Despite all shortcomings, it is here that, for the first time, 'teleology' in natural science is not only dealt a mortal blow but its rational meaning is empirically explained."[19]
Most later Marxists agreed with this view, but some – particularly those in the early Soviet Union – believed that evolutionary theory conflicted with their economic and social ideals. As a result, they came to support Lamarckism instead – the idea that an organism can pass on characteristics that it acquired during its lifetime to its offspring. This led to the practice of Lysenkoism, which caused agricultural problems.
In his book,
On the contemporary moderate left, some authors such as Peter Singer (in his book, A Darwinian Left) support Darwinism but reach different political and economic lessons than more conservative observers. Richard Dawkins' book, The Selfish Gene, has a chapter, "Nice guys finish first," that attempts to explain the role of altruism and cooperation in evolution and how social animals not only cannot survive without such traits, but how evolution will create them. Dawkins explains that when an animal sacrifices itself or uses its resources for the survival of other members of the same species, its genes, present in the other animals, survive. For example, if a mother dies to save three of its pups, one and a half copies (on average) of its genes will survive, because there is a 50% chance of a particular gene being present in its offspring. Dawkins also made a documentary of the same name.[20] According to the documentary, Dawkins added that chapter as a way of overcoming modern day misinterpretations of the concept of survival of the fittest. Left-wing transhumanists see technology as a means to overcome inequalities that stem from biology. New left feminist Shulamith Firestone saw technological control over reproduction as essential for gender equality.[citation needed] More recently the Laboria Cuboniks collective has articulated an antinaturalist politics that seeks to overcome essentialist categories through technological empowerment.[21][clarification needed]
Evolution in relation to Social Darwinism and Imperialism
"
Social Darwinism is further linked with
See also
- Sociocultural evolution – Evolution of societies
- Neo-creationism – Pseudoscientific creationism
- Hypergamy – Practice of a person marrying a spouse of higher social status than theirs
- Natural philosophy – Philosophical study of nature
- Freethought – Position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism
- Age of the Earth– Scientific dating of the age of Earth
References
- ISBN 0911312331.
- ^ Huxley, Thomas Henry (2001-11-01). Evolution and Ethics, and Other Essays.
- ^ "The Mis-portrayal of Darwin as a Racist". www.rationalrevolution.net. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
- ^ Webpage containing 129 Mein Kampf quotes relating to his Christianity
- ^ Religion and Hitler - a history
- ^ "Humani Generis (August 12, 1950) | PIUS XII".
- ^ "Pope John Paul II 22 October 1996 to Pontifical Academy of Sciences".
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
- ^ "Bülent Şahin Erdeğer | Evrim, İslam ile çelişir mi?". Independent Türkçe (in Turkish). 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Evolution In Quran". Evolution In Quran. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "The World's Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society" (PDF). Pew Research Center. April 30, 2013.
- ^ Review of Religions eGazette November 2008
- ISBN 9786053112082.
- ISBN 9789758727049.
- ^ al-Azami, Usaama (2013-02-14). "Muslims and Evolution in the 21st Century: A Galileo Moment?". Huffington Post Religion Blog. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ]
- ^ The Vilna Gaon, Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman Kremer, studied secular sciences and adwised his friends and students to do as well, maintaining that Judaism could only gain by studying them. "ELIJAH BEN SOLOMON (also called Elijah Wilna, Elijah Gaon, and Der Wilner Gaon)". jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ^ Maimonides, Moses ben Maimon (RaMBaM) frequently cited principles of sciences, such as mathematics and physics, astronomy and medicine, and contributed to them. Maimonides held that there is no contradiction between the revealed truths of God and the truths discovered and explored by the human mind, a gift from God. "MOSES BEN MAIMON (RaMBaM; usually called MAIMONIDES)". jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ^ "Letter to F. Lassalle in Berlin. London, 16 January 1861". Marx & Engels Collected Works. Vol. 41. pp. 246–247.
- ^ "Nice guys finish first". YouTube. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
- ^ "Xenofeminism: A Politics for Alienation". Laboria Cuboniks. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
- ISBN 978-0-520-05763-0– via Internet Archive.
- ISBN 978-0-415-34077-9.
- PMID 15293515.
- ISBN 978-0-412-07361-8.
- ^ OCLC 898154349. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
The most extreme ideological expression of nationalism and imperialism was Social Darwinism. In the popular mind, the concepts of evolution justified the exploitation by the 'superior races' of 'lesser breeds without the law.' This language of race and conflict, of superior and inferior people, had wide currency in the Western nations. Social Darwinists vigorously advocated empires, saying that strong nations—by definition, those that were successful at expanding industry and empire—would survive and others would not. To these elitists, all white peoples were more fit than nonwhites to prevail in the struggle for dominance. Even among Europeans, some nations were deemed more fit than others for the competition. Usually, Social Darwinists thought their own nation the best, an attitude that sparked their competitive enthusiasm. ...In the nineteenth century, in contrast to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Europeans, except for missionaries, rarely adopted the customs or learned the languages of local people. They had little sense that other cultures and other peoples deserved respect. Many Westerners believed that it was their Christian duty to set an example and to educate others. Missionaries were the first to meet and learn about many peoples and the first to develop writing for those without a written language. Christian missionaries were ardently opposed to slavery....