Darwinism and Socialism: The Struggle for Existence and Modernity

Büchner, Ludwig, 1824-1899Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2

Word count: 121K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Darwinismus und Sozialismus: Der Kampf um das Dasein und die ModerneAuthor: Büchner, Ludwig, 1824-1899,Language: German, Class: BD: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Speculative Philosophy, General Philosophical works, Release Date: Mar 6, 2007

Editor's review

This is a treatise written in German by the philosopher and popular science writer Ludwig Büchner, discussing Darwinian evolutionary theory together with social theory, centered on the struggle for existence and the predicament of modern society. From the standpoint of scientific materialism, the author brings the biological concept of competition into thinking about social problems, reflecting the typical approach of late nineteenth-century intellectuals who used science to explain social phenomena. The book's value lies in presenting the intellectual-historical scene of the early spread of evolutionary theory intersecting with socialist currents, and it is a useful reference for understanding the origins and limitations of ideas such as Social Darwinism. The original is in German, the argument is largely theoretical, and readers should note the author's historical limitations, taking care not to treat the analogies in the book as scientific conclusions. It is suitable as supplementary material for intellectual history and the history of philosophy, to be read alongside relevant background.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and scholars of nineteenth-century philosophy and intellectual history
Readers interested in the history of the spread of evolutionary theory and its relation to social theory
Readers with German reading ability who are concerned with science and social issues

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers without German and unfamiliar with the nineteenth-century intellectual context
Readers seeking systematic textbooks on modern sociology or evolutionary biology

Reading tips

First learn about the reception of Darwinian evolutionary theory in nineteenth-century Germany, then proceed to the main text.
While reading, distinguish the author's biological arguments from his social analogies, and avoid treating analogies as empirical conclusions.
Read in comparison with other works of social theory to trace the intellectual lineage of the concept of the struggle for existence.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book difficult to read?

It is somewhat demanding. The original is in German and it is a nineteenth-century work of philosophy and social science involving the intersection of evolutionary theory and social theory, requiring readers to have German ability and some familiarity with the intellectual context of the time.

What is the core question discussed in the book?

It mainly discusses how the biological concept of the struggle for existence was used to understand modern society, and the relationship between Darwinism and socialist currents, reflecting the author's attempt to explain social phenomena from a natural-scientific standpoint.

What is the significance of reading this book today?

Its significance lies mainly at the level of intellectual history, helping readers understand how evolutionary theory was brought into social discussion in its early period of dissemination, and the origins and limitations of ideas such as Social Darwinism, rather than offering solutions to contemporary social problems.

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About the author

Büchner, Ludwig, 1824-1899 Author · German · 1824–1899

Ludwig Büchner (1824–1899) was a German materialist philosopher and physician, known for promoting the popularization of scientific knowledge. He wrote Force and Matter, a work that discusses the relationship between matter and force and reflects his approach of combining philosophical argument with natural-scientific knowledge. The library also holds his Darwinism and Socialism: The Struggle for Existence and Modernity, whose title indicates that he sought to connect Darwinism with social issues, the struggle for existence, and modernity. Overall, his writing addresses a relatively broad readership in a direct style, emphasizing the support of philosophical views by scientific findings, and he had a certain influence on nineteenth-century science popularization and materialist thought. Public information on the specific events of his life is limited, so no speculation is offered here.