Basic Readings on Western Social Science Knowledge—Social Darwinism (Integrating Evolutionary Thought and Social Theory)

Author: (English) Dickens / Tu Jun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This series is jointly launched by Jilin People's Publishing House and McGraw-Hill, a global giant in educational publishing. It aims to provide the simplest and most convenient way for the public to quickly grasp the basic knowledge of Western social sciences, serving as a "reading primer" in the fields of philosophy and social sciences.
This series has been used as a basic textbook in universities in Europe and America for 20 years, written entirely by leading scholars from various fields in the West, and is constantly updated to keep pace with the times. It has become one of the most authoritative basic reading materials in Western social sciences and a stepping stone for young scholars to enter the of social sciences. Some of its books, such as Liberalism and Postmodernism, have achieved astonishing sales and gained both the acclaim of Western intellectuals and the favor of the public.
We eagerly hope that this series can also win the same acclaim in China as it did in Europe and America. The concept of social Darwinism, perhaps the most criticized in modern social sciences, has almost ruined its reputation due to its entanglement with pseudo-sciences like eugenics. Moreover, it is among the first to be listed as a sin of modernity by postmodernism. Although social Darwinism has a terrible reputation, as the author frankly states in the Introduction, as a social science concept, it was originally limited to a certain level. However, in later extensions, it was developed into a mystical and terrifyingly broad principle, and this misuse was nothing more than a ridiculous analogy that ultimately tarnished its reputation. Moreover, even after horrific events like the Nazi racial cleansing, such misuses continued. Especially when people gained access to genetic technology, and such resources were often controlled by the powerful, the situation became even more severe. Therefore, the author hopes to trace the lineage of social Darwinism and readdress the connection between evolutionary thought and social thought in this work. By organizing the chaotic concepts of popular social Darwinism, he hopes to reach appropriate conclusions.
At the end of the book, the author raises some profound questions: How can human biology be coordinated with social theory? How should social sciences adapt to the development of genetic technology to provide theoretical premises for new models of social organization, and so on.
Of course, due to the author's limitations, there are misunderstandings and biases in some aspects. For example, he equates Marxist evolutionary views with some views of vulgar social Darwinism, which stems from his lack of deep understanding of Marxist theory. At the same time, the author holds a pessimistic attitude toward the reinforcement of social organization's control over eugenics and also makes some inappropriate criticisms of the theory of progress. These are things we should pay attention to while reading. In short, we should maintain a rational attitude toward Western social science theories, criticize and reject erroneous views, and absorb valuable insights.