University of Pennsylvania Press
Social Darwinism in American Thought, 1860-1915
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Richard Hofstadter
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.
Topics
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Frontmatter
I -
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PREFACE
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CONTENTS
IX -
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I. THE COMING OF DARWINISM
1 -
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II. THE VOGUE OF SPENCER
18 -
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III. WILLIAM GRAHAM SUMNER
37 -
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IV. LESTER WARD
52 -
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V. EVOLUTION, ETHICS, AND SOCIETY
68 -
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VI. THE DISSENTERS
86 -
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VII. THE CURRENT OF PRAGMATISM
103 -
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VIII. TRENDS IN SOCIAL THEORY 1890–1915
121 -
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IX. RACISM AND IMPERIALISM
146 -
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X. CONCLUSION
174 -
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
177 -
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INDEX
187
