Customer Reviews

Socialist Darwinism

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Socialist Darwinism is about the enormous influence Darwinism had on socialism and communism, especially in Germany, which helps us to understand the influence of Darwin on Nazi rule (a topic not directly covered in this work). The book was originally Weikart's doctorial dissertation completed at the UNIVERSITY OF IOWA and as part of his Fulbright Fellowship, and later revised. Weikart's excellent work relies heavily on primary sources (most of the references are in German) and is well documented. He shows that Darwinism was applied to both government and social policy, although both the right and the left (socialists) managed to interpret Darwinism to support their ideals (page 126). Weikart also includes an excellent detailed discussion of Marx's and Engels' views of Darwin, correcting some of the common distortions about this part of history (page 15-82). This is probably the most valuable part of the book. As a whole, this very readable work makes a valuable contribution to the history of Darwinism and the impact of Darwin's ideas on science and society. The book also shows the various interpretations of Darwinism that existed historically and the resistance to various aspects of his ideas by scientists and others.