Social Darwinism in American Thought, 1860-1915
eBook - PDF

Social Darwinism in American Thought, 1860-1915

  1. 208 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Social Darwinism in American Thought, 1860-1915

About this book

Social Darwinism in American Thought examines the overall influence of Darwin on American social theory and the notable battle waged among thinkers over the implications of evolutionary theory for social thought and political action. Theorists such as Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner adopted the idea of the struggle for existence as justification for the evils—as well as the benefits—of laissez-faire modern industrial society. Others, such as William James and John Dewey, argued that human planning was needed to direct social development and improve on the natural order.Hofstadter's classic study of the ramifications of Darwinism is a major analysis of the social philosophies that animated intellectual movements of the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era.

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Yes, you can access Social Darwinism in American Thought, 1860-1915 by Richard Hofstadter in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & North American History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. PREFACE
  2. CONTENTS
  3. I. THE COMING OF DARWINISM
  4. II. THE VOGUE OF SPENCER
  5. III. WILLIAM GRAHAM SUMNER
  6. IV. LESTER WARD
  7. V. EVOLUTION, ETHICS, AND SOCIETY
  8. VI. THE DISSENTERS
  9. VII. THE CURRENT OF PRAGMATISM
  10. VIII. TRENDS IN SOCIAL THEORY 1890–1915
  11. IX. RACISM AND IMPERIALISM
  12. X. CONCLUSION
  13. BIBLIOGRAPHY
  14. INDEX