Darwinism: History of a Very Big Idea (HPSC20001)

What happens when biology, in the form of Darwin’s theory of evolution, is applied to politics, philosophy, theology or society in general? We know some of the answers: they range from disasters like eugenics and NAZI genocide, through to an ongoing war between science and religion. Some radical followers of Darwin have even insisted that evolutionary theory can explain everything about human existence. Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection (with its corollary of descent from a common ancestor) is a foundational pillar of modern biology and has, for good and ill, been widely adopted, adapted and applied outside of scientific circles. In looking at this, we follow Darwin as he develops his dangerous idea and then explore how people tried to apply it to society. Weekly themes include: whether Darwin killed God; Darwinism, social Darwinism and Eugenics; the connections between evolutionary theory and the NAZIs; the shaping of our understanding of sex and gender through Darwinism; and how Darwin transformed our conception of human nature, especially our relationship with other animals. Students taking this subject come away with a profound understanding of the Darwinian inheritance; an inheritance which has not only allowed the human species to prise open the secrets of nature, but has also transformed the world itself.