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Evolutionary Theory and Philosophical Darwinism

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The Theory of Evolution and Its Impact

Abstract

After the early reactions of the scientific community to Origin of the species, Darwin’s hypothesis was widely discussed by a growing number of professional historians and philosophers as well. This paper provides a short survey of historical research into the pre-Darwinian scenery of biological transformist intuitions of the so-called “forerunners”. This is an essential link to the following outline devoted to the divergent views of five relevant philosophical interpreters of the evolutionary theory: Spencer, Huxley, Haeckel, Nietzsche and Bergson. The intricacies of the Darwin-Spencer relationship are a necessary prelude to Huxley’s well-known Darwinian orthodoxy. In a way, Spencer’s monistic metaphysics was a no man’s land for friends and foes of Darwin’s Darwinism. Haeckel, naturalist and philosopher, translated Evolution into a systematic speculative Weltanschauung, while Nietzsche was first influenced by Darwinism and Spencerism and later rejected both. His Uebermensch myth was accompanied by an attempt to develop a biological-speculative basis for psychology. Bergson’s general critique of the experimental method and of the system of Spencer introduced his reinterpretation of evolution as a creative élan vital exclusively known through the inner perceptions of time, self-consciousness and intuition.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    “Herbert Spencer’s conversation seemed to me very interesting, but I did not like him particularly, and did not feel that I could easily have become intimate with him. I think that he was extremely egotistical. After reading any of his books, I generally feel enthusiastic admiration for his transcendent talents, and have often wondered whether in the distant future he would rank with such great men as Descartes, Leibnitz, etc., about whom, however, I know very little. Nevertheless I am not conscious of having profited in my own work by Spencer’s writings. His deductive manner of treating every subject is wholly opposed to my frame of mind. His conclusions never convince me: and over and over again I have said to myself, after reading one of his discussions,—‘Here would be a fine subject for half-a-dozen years’ work.’ His fundamental generalisations (which have been compared in importance by some persons with Newton’s laws!)—which I daresay may be very valuable under a philosophical point of view, are of such a nature that they do not seem to me to be of any strictly scientific use. They partake more of the nature of definitions than of laws of nature. They do not aid one in predicting what will happen in any particular case. Anyhow they have not been of any use to me” [27].

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  1. Department of Philosophy, University “La Sapienza”, Roma, Italy

    Paolo Casini

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Correspondence to Paolo Casini .

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  1. Accademia delle Scienze, Italy, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino, I-10124, Torino, Italy

    Aldo Fasolo

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Casini, P. (2012). Evolutionary Theory and Philosophical Darwinism. In: Fasolo, A. (eds) The Theory of Evolution and Its Impact. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-1974-4_4

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