Social Darwinism in American Thought (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: social statics, ethical process, Social Darwinism, American Thought, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The much-honored late historian Hofstadter inaugurated the study of social Darwinism in his 1944 Ph.D. thesis, reprinted here with an introduction by noted contemporary historian Foner.

Copyright 1992 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Are society’s disadvantaged doomed to get “selected out” of the economic pool? Is America’s social landscape a battleground for “survival of the fittest, where only the strong endure? Once again, biology is being used to explain human development, and right-wing ideologues claim reluctance to intervene in the “natural” workings of the economy. Richard Hofstadter’s now-classic work offers important insight into how ideas borne out of evolutionary theory continue to effect American values. Tracing the impact of Darwin on thinkers throughout the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era, Social Darwinism shows how a politically neutral scientific theory has been adapted with skillful rhetoric to contradictory purposes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (September 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807055034
• ISBN-13: 978-0807055038
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,082 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars masterpiece, May 11, 2004

By	David Frank (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Typically, I bestow five stars on books I think profitable to read. This book is a classic: it is imperative to read.

I disagree with the reviewer below (Mr. Landon) who calls for a repudiation of natural selection. I do not believe that sufficient evidence exists to recall the theory of natural selection.

Richard Hofstaedter is not, I repeat, is not calling for that, either. Recalling a scientific theory because of political difficulties caused by misguided adherents is neither right nor necessary. And Richard Hofstaedter demonstrates why it is not necessary right here in this book.

The take-away from this book is that social Darwinism, the belief that only the "fittest" (whatever that means) people among us should survive (rule, whatever), is on shaky ground. Always a morally repugnant doctrine, Hofstaedter shows social Darwinism to be logically suspect as well.

As Hofstaedter points out, one can start with the social Darwinist's appropriation of (or more accurately with their failure to reckon with) the term "natural". Darwin's principle of natural selection never addressed individuals within a species, and its application to individuals is a tremendous mistake. Writing about individuals striving to be "fittest", Hofstaedter here, from the pen of Mr. Darwin himself:

"People who are selfish and contentious will not cohere, and without coherence, nothing can be effected."

Rugged individualism is repudiated by its supposed inventor, and is fatally wounded.

One ponders the origin of the social instinct. Social Darwinists believe it to be contrived. But we were either created or selected to have it, this Darwin seems to know. And we should know it, too.

Hofstaedter avoids bombast, ideology, and religion. Yet he most effectively shames any false philosopher who would trample underfoot the least of his brothers and pronounce it "inevitable", by demonstrating the fallacy of his "logic".

By revealing the spurious origins and assumptions that form the foundation of the doctrine of social Darwinism, Hofstaedter undoes the false conflict between evolutionary science and Christian ethics.

In the end, Mr. Landon and I agree: Five stars. If you're interested in the most significant question arising in the past couple of centuries for social science, ethics and religion, the buck stops here.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, August 9, 1999

By A Customer

Richard Hofstadter is an excellent historian of the trends in American political, social, and religious thought. This book chronicles the rise and fall of Herbert Spencer's philosophy as a reinforcing doctrine for laissez-faire political economy. Hofstadter deftly combines his own observations with carefully selected quotes from the thinkers themselves. One lesson that may be gleaned from this work is that controversial and complex ideas such as Darwinian evolution may be used for a multiplicity of purposes, some of them conflicting. For those who seek a greater insight to the struggle between individualism and collectivism in American political culture. I would also recommend reading Will Durant's chapter on Herbert Spencer in The Story of Philosophy as a supplement.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About Richard Hofstadter's Social Darwinism in American Thought, January 9, 2007

By	Jack Marlando (Thousand Oaks) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If by chance you are unaware of what Social Dawinism is and/or do not know how it has flowed through America's bloodstream (most virtually since the Civil War) you are in for a reader's exploration that is destined to change your world view. For sure, you will realize how social Darwinism is alive and well today and, I offer, that you will be howling to leave it by the wayside by the time you've turned the last page of this unexpected history. This is a cornerstone read for the history buff and a must read for anyone seeking reasons why life--for most of us--is not as joyful or pleasant as it could be...In this light Richard Hofstdter's book is a teacher of both the mind and heart!