Publisher's Synopsis
This volume originated from a series of Herbert Spencer Lectures given at Oxford University, whose purpose was to survey the influence on various disciplines of the Darwinian view of evolution by natural selection.;Six eminent scholars discuss topics including the historical background to Darwin's contribution, the concept of evolution in sociology, philosophy and psychology with specific reference to Spencer and Marx, reinforcement theory, kinship and incest prohibiton, evolutionary epistemology and ethics and the analogy that can be drawn between changes in art forms and biological evolution.;This book will be of benefit to sociologists, anthropologists and historians of science, as well as the general reader interested in Charles Darwin and the impact of this thought.
