Charles Darwin:

Darwinism to Social Darwinism

Noel C. Mahaney

PHIL 111: Introduction to Philosophy

Professor Elwood Fleming

March 29, 2004

Charles Darwin:

Darwinism to Social Darwinism

The theory developed by Charles Darwin in 1859 in his book The Origin of Species is considered not only one of the greatest scientific discoveries ever but, also a system of knowledge that revolutionized the fundamental patterns of thought. This discovery was the theory of evolution. The theory of evolution shattered old beliefs and philosophies and imposed the necessity for building new ones. Two of the great ideologies that developed from Charles Darwin's theory of evolution are Darwinism and Social Darwinism. These two ideologies are often linked to each other and to some extent are intertwined in each other.

Charles Darwin was born in 1809 to a wealthy English family(Darwin, 2004). He began a journey after his graduation from Cambridge that would lead him and eventually the...