Robert Hatch

SUBTOPIC:

 What was the interaction among the theory of evolution, politics, and religion in the nineteenth century?

OBJECTIVES: 

The students will:

1. gain an understanding of the Darwinian theory of evolution
2. understand how Darwin’s theory has been adopted, periodically, by the ruling elites in order to justify their position of power
3. gain a greater appreciation for the impact of Darwinian thought upon questions of individual ethics and behavior in the twentieth century
4. role-play religious leaders’ responses to Darwin’s evolutionary theory
5. compare religious and historical responses to Darwin’s theory in Darwin’s day
6. define and use (as a means of comparison the following terms: creationism, orthodoxy, vitalist, evolution, metaphysics, conservative theology, liberal theology, radical theology, atheism, deism, and theism.

Background Information

Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859) offers a model for evolution based upon the natural selection of the most advantageous characteristics possessed by members of a species. This process has been identified by the phrase “survival of the fittest,” which many feel suggests a ruthless and random component of natural selection and also implies an anti-theological explanation of species development. Chaotic, goal-less evolution was a departure from the work of Darwin’s predecessor, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who argued for the existence of a goal-oriented theory of evolution. Furthermore, there is no essential role for a god in Darwin’s evolutionary explanation.

The impact of Darwin’s work on Victorian society occurred on at least the two levels of politics and religion. Darwin’s ideas were used by the ruling elites, for example, to justify their favorable position in society, while the prospect of a plan-less, chaotic, and godless universe appeared to threaten the behavior of individual moral agents.

Social Darwinists of the late nineteenth century, notably Herbert Spencer in England and William Graham Sumner in America, applied Darwin’s theories to human society. To American robber barons of the Gilded Age, “survival of the fittest” seemed not only to legitimize their personal ruthless and acquisitive behavior, but also confirmed, at least in their minds, that they were indeed superior to the typical factory worker. Darwin’s ideas were also employed in the science of eugenics. Many American progressives in the first and second decades of this century advocated state control of reproduction for certain social “misfits.” This notion was later carried to horrific ends in Nazi Germany and still persists today in milder forms.

Some nineteenth-century figures interpreted Darwin’s theory in a manner that called into question the need for a god and for any transcendent prescriptions for moral behavior. This precipitated a debate over the “right” course of action.

If humans are motivated by survival, self-interest, or ethical egoism, can they be moral creatures? In the twentieth century some have suggested that morality must be understood in light of our evolutionary past, that, specifically we are nothing more than the sum of our genes. There is a great deal more to the issues Darwin used than just textbook wars and monkey trials. 

ACTIVITY #1:

Darwinism and Political Ideology

           2 class periods

PROCEDURE:

1. View James Burke’s “Day the Universe changed,” program #8, “Fit to Rule” (Chapter 8 in the book with the same title).
2. Burke asserts that the rise of communism in Russia, the flowering of laissez-faire capitalism in the United States, and the appearance of Nazism in Germany all can be linked to Darwinistic ideas. Discuss the following:
   1. To what extent do Darwinian notions play a role in the appearance of these political ideologies?
   2. Can scientific theories serve as a justification for contradictory political views?
   3. How can ideas in natural science affect national politics
3. Have students articulate their personal stand on the issues previously discussed.
4. Have students write a 1-2 page essay defending the opinion which opposes their own.

ACTIVITY #2:

Role Playing Nineteenth Century Theologians

          1-2 class periods for introductory lecture & reading;  1 period for activity

MATERIALS:

 SOCIAL STUDIES AND SCIENCE TEXTS; LINDBERG’S GOD AND NATURE (see Bibliography) 

PROCEDURE:

1. Have students look up definitions of the terms in objective 3 above. Use class time to discuss definitions.
2. Allow students to research the variety of terms, as well as the religious responses that have surfaced in the time of Darwin and be prepared to represent their assigned positions in the class role play/discussion. See chapter 16 in God and Nature.
3. The teacher should serve as the moderator of the role play. Some of the suggested positions to be represented (among many possibilities) are as follows:
   1. an orthodox conservative religious thinker
   2. a “middle of the road” religious thinker who embraces evolutionary theory, but not natural selection.
   3. a religious thinker who supports Darwin
   4. supporter of the view that science has replaced the need for religion.
   5. a philosophical thinker who views Darwin as the eliminator of all purposes in life
   6. Darwin

ACTIVITY #3:

A Theological Survey

          1-2 weeks for completion of survey

PROCEDURE:

1. Each student should contact a clergyman (in person or by letter) and request answers to survey questions (see attachment). Students should provide stamped self-addressed envelopes if surveys are mailed.
2. When surveys are collected, make comparisons in the classroom of the responses received.
3. If you wish, group responses with the class by similarity of viewpoint.
4. A comparison should also be made between survey responses and the reactions of religious leaders in the time of Darwin. This may be done by grouping the reactions in terms of the positions presented in Activity #1 role play.
5. As an added procedure, students may be asked to anonymously respond to a survey about their own position with regard to Darwin’s theory. These can be compared along with the responses of clergy.

Bibliography

Bowler, Peter. Charles Darwin: The Man and His Influence. Blackwell, 1990.

Burke, James. “The Day the Universe Changed.” Available in video and book versions.

Eiseley, Loren. Darwin’s Century: Evolution and the Men Who Discovered It. Doubleday, 1959.

Lindberg, David and Ronald Humbers. God and Nature. University of California Press, 1986.