In Search of Human Nature: The Decline and Revival of Darwinism in American Social Thought
Carl N. Degler
Abstract
Giving an historical perspective on the changes in scientific thought over the last 100 years, this book explores the study of social evolution and the ongoing search for human nature. The book provides a detailed perspective on the reasons behind the shifting emphasis in social thought from biology, to culture, and again to biology. The book examines why these changes took place, the evidence and people fostering these changes and why students of human nature decided to accept this momentous change in thought. It suggests varying ideologies as the underlying force behind this shift in the stu ... More
Giving an historical perspective on the changes in scientific thought over the last 100 years, this book explores the study of social evolution and the ongoing search for human nature. The book provides a detailed perspective on the reasons behind the shifting emphasis in social thought from biology, to culture, and again to biology. The book examines why these changes took place, the evidence and people fostering these changes and why students of human nature decided to accept this momentous change in thought. It suggests varying ideologies as the underlying force behind this shift in the study of social science. From Darwin's theory that human social behaviour has drastically evolved from animals, to the belief that human experience serves as the basic differentiating factor in humans, this book provides an examination of the roots of human behaviour.
Keywords:
historical perspective,
social evolution,
human nature,
social thought,
biology,
culture,
Darwin,
animals,
human experience,
human behaviour
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 1993 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780195077070 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: October 2011 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195077070.001.0001 |
