Essay Questions

After writing The Origin of Species Charles Darwin encountered some criticism mainly related to the evolution of man. Which critical points are discussed in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex?

The whole book is written mainly as an answer to these critics. Darwin originally intended to only write a short paper explaining his view on the origin of humanity closer but found that it caused too much controversy to be left undiscussed. He mainly argues for the theory that all humans are descendants of a single common ancestor, the proto-human. This goes against the believe of many of his contemporaries who argued for a separate evolution of the different races. Considering the highly racist views supported in the book and the time it was written in, a common ancestor that closely connects the white British society with the so called savages of for example Southern America must have been a hard pill to swallow for the intellectuals.

The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex has often been used by feminist scientists to argue a more equal treatment of women. How is this viewpoint supported in the book?

One of the main theories introduced in the book is the concept of sexual selection. Darwin describes that some features evolved due to sexual preferences by the opposite sex. This happens predominantly for male members of a species throughout the animal kingdom. This biological concept is called female choice, i.e. the female animal chooses the male with the best features. This biological argument has been used by feminists to show that female suppression is actually against nature and that women should be able to make choices of their own. However, Darwin himself never really supported these feminist tendencies, being too caught up in his own time.

In The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex Charles Darwin argues for a human reproduction model that is now known as Social Darwinism. What does Social Darwinism mean and what repercussions did this theory have in history?

Social Darwinism is the concept that evolution created humanity by selecting the best genes. Evolving this thought further, one comes to the conclusion that within the population there will be better and worse genetic examples of the human race. This argument has led many of Darwin's contemporaries to support euthanasia for mentally or physically challenged individuals. Others used this theory to create a myth of a master race, like in Germany's Third Reich. Darwin himself never supported any of these cruel methods, arguing that with better genes also comes a greater moral responsibility. Modern science completely discarded the concept of Social Darwinism, as new findings on gene transfer between generations made the biggest parts of the argument invalid.