(16-1) Darwinism

This view caused a great stir almost from the moment his book On the Origin of Species was published in 1859. After that it was no longer possible to think of human beings as completely different from the rest of the animal kingdom. Human beings weren't special any more: they were just part of nature like any other animal. This might not come as a surprise to you, but it did to most Victorians.


Darwin was a biologist and a geologist, not a philosopher. So you might wonder why there is a chapter about him in this book. The reason it's here is that his theory of evolution by natural selection and its modern versions have had a profound impact on how philosophers – as well as scientists – think about humanity. It is the most influential scientific theory of all time. The contemporary philosopher Daniel Dennett has called it ‘the single best idea anyone has ever had’. The theory explains how human beings and the plants and animals around them have come to be as they are and how they are all still changing.


This struggle for survival explains everything. It isn't just a struggle between members of different species; members of the same species struggle against each other too.

That is the gist of the chapter on Darwin. So what do you think? Leave your comments or video responses(Andrew).