DarwinHTH 1002 History of Thought II

Kara Heitz

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)• Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)

• On the Origin of Species (1859)• Theory of Evolution• Mechanism: Natural Selection

• The Descent of Man (1871)• Sexual Selection• Applied evolution to humans

Darwin’s Encounter with the Fuegians

Darwin’s Ideas and Racism• Darwin & “savages”

• “Struggle for Existence”

• “Survival of the Fittest” (Alfred Wallace)

• Social Darwinism

• Eugenics

Essay #1 Questions:• How did Enlightenment ideas continue to influence thinkers in the 19th century? And how did these 19th

century thinkers shift, altered, or even reject Enlightenment ideas? Pick two theorists - Kant, Hegel, Marx, or Darwin - and compare/contrast their relationship to Enlightenment ideas. Also, which thinker do you think better maintained the spirit of the Enlightenment, and why?

• Central to the thought of both Hegel and Marx is the notion of historical movement and the idea of the

End of History. How did both of these theorists view history and its possible endpoint? What is the relationship between Hegel and Marx in regards to theorizing about history? Also, whose views do you find more convincing, and why?

• The writings of Kant, Hegel, Marx, and Darwin all contain different views about human nature – the

inherent and distinguishing characteristics of human beings, independent of the influences of culture, social institutions, religion, etc. Pick two of these thinkers and compare/contrast their views on human nature. What was essential and innate to humans according to these theorists? Also, which set of views do you find more convincing, and why?