{"product_id":"was-hitler-a-darwinian-disputed-questions-in-the-history-of-evolutionary-theory-9780226058931","title":"Was Hitler a Darwinian?: Disputed Questions in the History of Evolutionary Theory","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn tracing the history of Darwins accomplishment and the trajectory of evolutionary theory during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries  most scholars agree that Darwin introduced blind mechanism into biology  thus banishing moral values from the understanding of nature. According to the standard interpretation  the principle of survival of the fittest has rendered human behavior  including moral behavior  ultimately selfish. Few doubt that Darwinian theory  especially as construed by the masters German disciple  Ernst Haeckel  inspired Hitler and led to Nazi atrocities.  In this collection of essays  Robert J. Richards argues that this orthodox view is wrongheaded. A close historical examination reveals that Darwin  in more traditional fashion  constructed nature with a moral spine and provided it with a goal: man as a moral creature. The book takes up many other topicsincluding the character of Darwins chief principles of natural selection and divergence  his dispute with Alfred Russel Wallace over mans big brain  the role of language in human development  his relationship to Herbert Spencer  how much his views had in common with Haeckels  and the general problem of progress in evolution. Moreover  Richards takes a forceful stand on the timely issue of whether Darwin is to blame for Hitlers atrocities. Was Hitler a Darwinian? is intellectual history at its boldest.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45665878310965,"sku":"ByrdShop_022605893X","price":52.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780226058931.jpg?v=1782412028","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/was-hitler-a-darwinian-disputed-questions-in-the-history-of-evolutionary-theory-9780226058931","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}