Darwinian Myths: The Legends and Misuses of a Theory

In Darwinian Myths, Edward Caudill examines the ability of Darwin's theory to inspire legends, focusing particularly on the impact of social Darwinism on popular culture. This compelling testimony to the power of myth shows the ways in which, over the years, Darwin's ideas--twisted, truncated, and misapplied--have been appropriated by individuals, governments, and cultural elites to lend credibility to xenophobic, racist, and imperialist political movements and policies.
Caudill uses newspaper and magazine accounts and correspondence to trace the myth-making and promotional efforts of Darwin himself, as well as the transformation of his empirically based theory into the philosophy of social Darwinism.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: University of Tennessee Press
Published: 05/30/2005
ISBN: 9781572334526
Pages: 184
Weight: 0.68lbs
Size: 9.02h x 6.02w x 0.63d