ABSTRACT

For much of the period since World War II, Social Darwinism was considered to be no longer important. In recent years, however, it has undergone a revival and its claims now require careful examination. On the face of it, the ‘new’ Social Darwinism merely elevates an everyday idea into a scientific theory, namely that there are certain innate and unchanging aspects of human nature which shape social behaviour and affect social organization. It has also, however, challenged conventional social science by advocating the replacement of its usual procedures and established concepts with those of evolutionary biology. Sociologists, to be sure, have been fairly unimpressed with this programme. But perhaps their reaction is mere prejudice and habit? Obviously, much depends upon whether followers of the biological approach have been able to offer evidence of the role of hereditary factors in human behaviour.