Benjamin Kidd
Benjamin Kidd (born September 9, 1858 , † October 2, 1916 ) was a British sociologist who became known through the work Social Evolution published in England in 1894 , a bestseller translated into several languages. In it Kidd represents a social Darwinism , which on the one hand refers to August Weismann's neo-Darwinism, on the other hand regards religion as an essential factor of a socially progressive evolution. He sees Christianity as an essential factor for the success of the western world and especially English society as the most developed.
Because of the teleological elements, his work was called pseudoscience very early on. Kidd was a vehement opponent of eugenics . Since Kidd's social Darwinism takes a moderate position in relation to the political conservatism traditionally associated with social Darwinism, laissez-faire politics, imperialism and racism, he is considered an unconventional social Darwinist. A religious social Darwinism can also be found in Henry Drummond .
literature
- DP Crook: Benjamin Kidd, Portrait of a Social Darwinist. Cambridge University Press, 1984, ISBN 0521258049
Individual evidence
- ^ Hugh Mortimer Cecil (Ernest Newman): Pseudo-philosophy at the End of the Nineteenth Century. An irrationalist trio: Kidd-Drummond-Balfour. University Press, London 1897
- ^ DP Crook: Benjamin Kidd, Portrait of a Social Darwinist. P. 92
- ^ NA Rupke: Review of Benjamin Kidd. Portrait of a Social Darwinist by DP Crook ,. In: The English Historical Review . Volume 102, No. 403 (April 1987), pp. 523-524
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kidd, Benjamin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British sociologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 9, 1858 |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 2, 1916 |