From Darwin to Hitler
Encyclopedia
From Darwin to Hitler: evolutionary ethics, eugenics, and racism in Germany is a controversial 2004 book by Richard Weikart
, a historian at California State University, Stanislaus
, and a senior fellow for the Center for Science and Culture
of the Discovery Institute
.
, "provided crucial funding" for the book's research. Prominent historian and critic of the Intelligent design movement
, Barbara Forest, states that the book is tied to the DI's 'wedge strategy
' of attacking Darwinian science as morally corrupting. This strategy aims to "defeat [the] materialist world view" represented by the theory of evolution in favor of "a science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions."
In 2008, he appeared in Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
, a pro-Intelligent design
movie, which among other claims, strongly implies that Charles Darwin
's ideas led to Adolf Hitler
's atrocities. In The Modesto Bee, Bret Carroll, Weikart's colleague in the Stanislaus history department, wrote "That 'intelligent design' is not a scientific theory" and the Expelled movie "misuses Weikart's research by mistakenly implying that Darwin led inevitably to Hitler. In fact, scientific theories, even those like Darwin's that address organic life, are morally neutral." He also appears in Coral Ridge Ministries' 2006 creationist film "Darwin's Deadly Legacy" in which Weikart claims "Darwinian ideology is the core" of Nazism
and D. James Kennedy, therefore, concludes "No Darwin, no Hitler." In addition, Creation Ministries International
cites Weikart as "reinforcing the Darwin–Hitler connection." In the conclusion of From Darwin to Hitler, Weikart writes:
Weikart states in his book:
According to talk.origins
, this is a common creationist quote mine. In a debate with Weikart in May 2008, Hector Avalos
said that the quote is often "misrepresented" in creationist literature, and that Darwin was reporting and criticizing the extermination of people at a time of colonial expansion, rather than promoting it. In the passage "there is nothing in Darwin's words to support (and much in his life to contradict) any claim that Darwin wanted the "lower" or "savage races" to be exterminated. He was merely noting what appeared to him to be factual, based in no small part on the evidence of a European binge of imperialism and colonial conquest during his lifetime." Darwin's passage, in full context, reads:
, a professor of German history, was critical in his review in the American Historical Review
, writing "Weikart presents an image of Darwinism at once both too narrow and too broad." Zimmerman wrote: Weikart replied to Zimmerman's criticism to which Zimmerman offered a rebuttal saying Weikart "distorts the history of Darwinism and anti-Darwinism in Germany in ways that reflect theocratic agendas in present-day American politics." Weikart has written some responses to reviews on his webpage.
Nils Roll-Hansen
, historian and philosopher of 19th and 20th century biology at University of Oslo
, also reviewed the work and was critical of it in a review published by Isis
calling it "selective" and containing "insufficient attention to historical change-leaving out political, social, and economic factors as well as the role of new knowledge in genetics-make his overall argument unconvincing." In addition, Hector Avalos
, a professor of Religious Studies, wrote an essay "exposing the historical flaws found in the work of Weikart" and argued "that the defense of genocide, infanticide and "eugenics" by creationists actually has a very venerable and lengthy tradition that precedes Darwin." Sander Gliboff
, professor of History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University
, criticized the work saying "It is dismaying to see such opinions being passed off as results of scholarly research." Jonathan Judaken, professor of History at University of Memphis
, wrote that while it is a "significant study," he "fails to follow the rich nuances of the discourse/practices and institutions that have preoccupied the contemporary generation of intellectual historians, who have paid attention to the continuities and ruptures within systems of thought. So his presentation of racism, for example, reiterates a rationale that does not stand up to the critical scrutiny of intellectual history." Larry Arnhart
, a professor of Political Science at Northern Illinois University
wrote "Weikart doesn't actually show any direct connection between Darwin and Hitler. In fact, Weikart has responded to my criticisms by admitting that the title of his book is misleading, since he cannot show any direct link between Darwin's ideas and Hitler's Nazism."
Robert Richards, historian of Darwin and eugenics at University of Chicago
, wrote "It can only be a tendentious and dogmatically driven assessment that would condemn Darwin for the crimes of the Nazis." Richards more pointed concluded "Hitler was not a Darwinian" and "calls this all a desperate tactic to undermine evolution." Richards explained, "There's not the slightest shred of evidence that Hitler read Darwin," and "Some of the biggest influences on Hitler's anti-Semitism were opposed to evolution, such as British writer Houston Stewart Chamberlain
, whose racial theory became incorporated into Nazi doctrine."
In The Journal of Modern History
, Ann Taylor Allen
, a professor of German history at the University of Louisville
, reviewed Weikart's book. She explained that Weikart's talk about "Darwinism" is not based on any careful reading of Darwin himself but on vague ideas by a variety of people who presented themselves as "Darwinian." Moreover, fundamental elements of Nazism
like anti-Semitism
cannot be attributed to Darwinism since they predate evolutionary theory. Allen concluded:
Besides the academic criticisms, Weikart was criticized by Jeff Schloss, Professor at Westmont College
and former Discovery Institute fellow, in the Christian American Scientific Affiliation
's publication regarding the Expelled film. Schloss wrote that the "ideas that are attributed to Darwin (such as natural selection makes might right in social policy) were actually not advocated but repudiated by Darwin and
his immediate colleagues." Weikart wrote a response.
Richard Weikart
Richard Weikart is a professor of history at California State University, Stanislaus, and is a senior fellow for the Center for Science and Culture of the Discovery Institute. In 1997 he joined the editorial board of the Access Research Network's Origins & Design Journal...
, a historian at California State University, Stanislaus
California State University, Stanislaus
California State University, Stanislaus, also known as Cal State Stanislaus or simply Stan State is a campus in the California State University system which was established in 1957 in Turlock, California. It is also the only campus in the CSU system to offer a bachelor's degree in cognitive studies...
, and a senior fellow for the Center for Science and Culture
Center for Science and Culture
The Center for Science and Culture , formerly known as the Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture , is part of the Discovery Institute, a conservative Christian think tank in the United States...
of the Discovery Institute
Discovery Institute
The Discovery Institute is a non-profit public policy think tank based in Seattle, Washington, best known for its advocacy of intelligent design...
.
Origins and summary
Discovery, the hub of the intelligent design movementIntelligent design movement
The intelligent design movement is a neo-creationist religious campaign for broad social, academic and political change to promote and support the idea of "intelligent design," which asserts that "certain features of the universe and of living things are...
, "provided crucial funding" for the book's research. Prominent historian and critic of the Intelligent design movement
Intelligent design movement
The intelligent design movement is a neo-creationist religious campaign for broad social, academic and political change to promote and support the idea of "intelligent design," which asserts that "certain features of the universe and of living things are...
, Barbara Forest, states that the book is tied to the DI's 'wedge strategy
Wedge strategy
The wedge strategy is a political and social action plan authored by the Discovery Institute, the hub of the intelligent design movement. The strategy was put forth in a Discovery Institute manifesto known as the Wedge Document, which describes a broad social, political, and academic agenda whose...
' of attacking Darwinian science as morally corrupting. This strategy aims to "defeat [the] materialist world view" represented by the theory of evolution in favor of "a science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions."
In 2008, he appeared in Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is a 2008 documentary film, directed by Nathan Frankowski and hosted by Ben Stein. The film contends that the mainstream science establishment suppresses academics who believe they see evidence of intelligent design in nature and who criticize evidence supporting...
, a pro-Intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
movie, which among other claims, strongly implies that Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's ideas led to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's atrocities. In The Modesto Bee, Bret Carroll, Weikart's colleague in the Stanislaus history department, wrote "That 'intelligent design' is not a scientific theory" and the Expelled movie "misuses Weikart's research by mistakenly implying that Darwin led inevitably to Hitler. In fact, scientific theories, even those like Darwin's that address organic life, are morally neutral." He also appears in Coral Ridge Ministries' 2006 creationist film "Darwin's Deadly Legacy" in which Weikart claims "Darwinian ideology is the core" of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and D. James Kennedy, therefore, concludes "No Darwin, no Hitler." In addition, Creation Ministries International
Creation Ministries International
Creation Ministries International is a non-profit young Earth creationist organisation of autonomous Christian apologetics ministries that promote a literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis...
cites Weikart as "reinforcing the Darwin–Hitler connection." In the conclusion of From Darwin to Hitler, Weikart writes:
Weikart states in his book:
According to talk.origins
Talk.origins
talk.origins is a moderated Usenet discussion forum concerning the origins of life, and evolution...
, this is a common creationist quote mine. In a debate with Weikart in May 2008, Hector Avalos
Hector Avalos
Hector Avalos is a professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University and the author of several books about religion...
said that the quote is often "misrepresented" in creationist literature, and that Darwin was reporting and criticizing the extermination of people at a time of colonial expansion, rather than promoting it. In the passage "there is nothing in Darwin's words to support (and much in his life to contradict) any claim that Darwin wanted the "lower" or "savage races" to be exterminated. He was merely noting what appeared to him to be factual, based in no small part on the evidence of a European binge of imperialism and colonial conquest during his lifetime." Darwin's passage, in full context, reads:
Academic reception
The academic community has been critical of the book. Andrew ZimmermanAndrew Zimmerman
Andrew Zimmerman is a professor of German history at George Washington University. He earned a PhD from the University of California, San Diego in 1998, an M.Phil in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge in 1991, a B.A. in History from University of California, Los Angeles in...
, a professor of German history, was critical in his review in the American Historical Review
American Historical Review
The American Historical Review is the official publication of the American Historical Association, established in 1895 "for the promotion of historical studies, the collection and preservation of historical documents and artifacts, and the dissemination of historical research." It targets readers...
, writing "Weikart presents an image of Darwinism at once both too narrow and too broad." Zimmerman wrote: Weikart replied to Zimmerman's criticism to which Zimmerman offered a rebuttal saying Weikart "distorts the history of Darwinism and anti-Darwinism in Germany in ways that reflect theocratic agendas in present-day American politics." Weikart has written some responses to reviews on his webpage.
Nils Roll-Hansen
Nils Roll-Hansen
Nils Roll-Hansen is a historian and philosopher of 19th and 20th century biology at University of Oslo. He is the author of four books and many academic articles. His book "The Lysenko Effect" was praised in Nature. He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.-Books:*The Lysenko...
, historian and philosopher of 19th and 20th century biology at University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, also reviewed the work and was critical of it in a review published by Isis
Isis (journal)
Isis is an academic journal published by University of Chicago Press. It focuses on the history of science, history of medicine, and the history of technology, as well as their cultural influences, featuring both original research articles as well as extensive book reviews and review essays.It was...
calling it "selective" and containing "insufficient attention to historical change-leaving out political, social, and economic factors as well as the role of new knowledge in genetics-make his overall argument unconvincing." In addition, Hector Avalos
Hector Avalos
Hector Avalos is a professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University and the author of several books about religion...
, a professor of Religious Studies, wrote an essay "exposing the historical flaws found in the work of Weikart" and argued "that the defense of genocide, infanticide and "eugenics" by creationists actually has a very venerable and lengthy tradition that precedes Darwin." Sander Gliboff
Sander Gliboff
Sander Gliboff is a professor of History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University. Gliboff earned a B.S. in biology from Cornell University in 1978, an M.A. at the University of North Carolina in 1981, and at Johns Hopkins University earned an M.A. in 1997 and a Ph.D...
, professor of History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, criticized the work saying "It is dismaying to see such opinions being passed off as results of scholarly research." Jonathan Judaken, professor of History at University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
, wrote that while it is a "significant study," he "fails to follow the rich nuances of the discourse/practices and institutions that have preoccupied the contemporary generation of intellectual historians, who have paid attention to the continuities and ruptures within systems of thought. So his presentation of racism, for example, reiterates a rationale that does not stand up to the critical scrutiny of intellectual history." Larry Arnhart
Larry Arnhart
Larry Arnhart is a Presidential Research Professor of Political Science at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. His areas of teaching and research include the history of political philosophy, biopolitical theory, and American political thought. Arnhart is the author of five books and...
, a professor of Political Science at Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
wrote "Weikart doesn't actually show any direct connection between Darwin and Hitler. In fact, Weikart has responded to my criticisms by admitting that the title of his book is misleading, since he cannot show any direct link between Darwin's ideas and Hitler's Nazism."
Robert Richards, historian of Darwin and eugenics at University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, wrote "It can only be a tendentious and dogmatically driven assessment that would condemn Darwin for the crimes of the Nazis." Richards more pointed concluded "Hitler was not a Darwinian" and "calls this all a desperate tactic to undermine evolution." Richards explained, "There's not the slightest shred of evidence that Hitler read Darwin," and "Some of the biggest influences on Hitler's anti-Semitism were opposed to evolution, such as British writer Houston Stewart Chamberlain
Houston Stewart Chamberlain
Houston Stewart Chamberlain was a British-born German author of books on political philosophy, natural science and the German composer Richard Wagner. He later became a German citizen. Chamberlain married Wagner's daughter, Eva, some years after Wagner's death...
, whose racial theory became incorporated into Nazi doctrine."
In The Journal of Modern History
The Journal of Modern History
The Journal of Modern History is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering European intellectual, political, and cultural history, published by the University of Chicago Press in cooperation with the Modern European History Section of the American Historical Association...
, Ann Taylor Allen
Ann Taylor Allen
Ann Taylor Allen is a professor of German history at the University of Louisville. Allen is the author of four books and more than twenty articles/reviews in peer-reviewed journals...
, a professor of German history at the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
, reviewed Weikart's book. She explained that Weikart's talk about "Darwinism" is not based on any careful reading of Darwin himself but on vague ideas by a variety of people who presented themselves as "Darwinian." Moreover, fundamental elements of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
like anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
cannot be attributed to Darwinism since they predate evolutionary theory. Allen concluded:
Besides the academic criticisms, Weikart was criticized by Jeff Schloss, Professor at Westmont College
Westmont College
Westmont offers 26 majors, including: alternative major, art, biology, chemistry, communication studies, computer science, economics and business, education program, engineering physics, English, history, European studies, kinesiology, liberal studies, mathematics, modern languages , music,...
and former Discovery Institute fellow, in the Christian American Scientific Affiliation
American Scientific Affiliation
The American Scientific Affiliation is a Christian religious organization of scientists and people in science-related disciplines. The stated purpose is "to investigate any area relating Christian faith and science." The organization publishes a journal, Perspectives of Science and Christian Faith...
's publication regarding the Expelled film. Schloss wrote that the "ideas that are attributed to Darwin (such as natural selection makes might right in social policy) were actually not advocated but repudiated by Darwin and
his immediate colleagues." Weikart wrote a response.
External links
- From Darwin to Hitler from Palgrave MacMillanPalgrave MacmillanPalgrave Macmillan is an international academic and trade publishing company, headquartered in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom and with offices in New York, Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Delhi, Johannesburg. It was created in 2000 when St...
- Creationists for Genocide, an essay critical of Weikart's thesis, by Hector AvalosHector AvalosHector Avalos is a professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University and the author of several books about religion...
(Professor of Religious Studies, Iowa State University)