Darwin and the British Tradition

I. History of philosophical psychology: Renaissance to Modernism

Exploration of the oceans and riches of the new worlds
The rise of money power: Capitalism
Rise of new politics: Nationalism
Reformation: New Christianity

Enlightenment: Age of Reason & Mathematics
Change in thought which is marked by scientific
empiricism, naturalism, and materialism which
enabled the rise of individualism through revolution

Reason over nature: Technology, industry,
democracy and the presence of large urban centres

Arrival of the Modern era:
neo-Foundationism, presentism, professionalism

Counter-Enlightenment: Rejection of the
"imperialism of reason and science" for
"Romanticism and Spiritualism"

Charles Taylor (1991): The Malaise of Modernity
Disenchantment: Purposeless commodities under control

II. Intellectual background to Darwin: Natural science

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.): Scala naturae (levels or types of psyche).
Nutritive, Sensitive, Rational

Francis Bacon (1561-1626): Inductive observation and theory building

John Locke (1632-1704): Simple ideas building complex ideas,
Operations of the mind (not complete tabula rasa)
Ideas of primary qualities (direct perception) and
ideas of secondary qualities (mind added)

Issac Newton (1642-1727):
Laws of mechanical world, naturalism, empiricism

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) Vitalism:
Organic matter is purposeful and intelligent

Acquired inheritance of traits or characteristics
 

Epigenetics twins

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873): Associationism

Science seeks to provide empirical laws (limited in circumstance) from the inductive methods of agreement and disagreement.  However, one should be able to deduce those empirical laws from "genuine" causal laws of nature.

Utilitarianism: Moral philosophy as a natural science.
Ethics are to be determined from the balance of
"good" & "bad" consequences. The hedonistic calculus

Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882)

Identity crisis?
-Disliked Medicine (Edinburgh University)
-Not cut out for the clergy (Cambridge University)

-Finally a chance to be a naturalist, transformed
from observer to investigator

Beagle Voyage (1831-1836): Naturalistic observations

• Charles Lyell (1843): The principles of geology

Earth is in slow process of change
• Observed and collected 1,000's of species of plants and

animals. Met peoples from around the south seas
• Read Thomas Malthus' (1766-1834) "Essay on the principle of

population as it affects the future improvement of society"
• Familiar with artificial selection in breeding animals

--Hypochondriasis?

-Concerned about the implications to society and himself
of publishing his ideas (delayed many years)

- Gave up Christianity around 1849. His father died
in 1848, Charles was now forty. In 1852 his daughter
Annie died and Darwin lost his faith Moore (1989).
 
 July 1, 1858: Linnean Society with Alfred Russell Wallace (1823-1913)

On the origin of species (1859)

1. Nature reproduces species and individual
   progeny with a diversity of inheritable traits
   
2. Some traits are "better suited" to the
   environments in which they occur
   
3. Because there is a "constant struggle" against
   the environment for food-resources, some traits
   enable only some of progeny to reproduce
   
4. Traits themselves change "randomly" in time
   
5. Over eons numerous small changes become significant
   
6. Environments vary and change in traits "selected"
   
7. New species emerge (and keep changing)

Gregor Mendel (1822-1884): Mechanism of inheritance

Revolution in Evolution - The New Biology - Epigenetics

III. Insider vs. Outsider perspectives on Darwin

Alexander (1996): Two historical perspectives on Darwin

• Darwin mechanized nature as "dead stupid matter"
• Skinner is ultimate heir to Darwin's work
• Behavior is never a product of will or intention
• Emphasis on competition between individuals and species
• Humans are a part of this nature

• Philosophical "faculty psychology"
• Openly accepted: "Mind", sympathy, reason, consciousness
• Voluntary acts of cooperation are instinctive
• Conscience and "moral sense" are most important traits

II. Neo-Darwinism: A variety of perspectives

Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895): Darwin's Bulldog

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903): Synthetic Philosophy

1897-Continuity of species in quantitative fashion
Instincts, reflexes, habits, intelligence and the brain

"Survival of the fittest" = "Red in tooth and claw" ?

Eugenics : "Anti-Social" Darwinism and Laissez-faire Capitalism

Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911)

Adolph Quetelet (1796-1874): Normal curve and "error" variance 
Galton used the normal curve and group means to measure individuals. 
Each person can be measured against the group and each group against the next.

 Karl Pearson (1857-1936): Socialist who supported "planned, politically enforced program of eugenics" 1907- Established Eugenics Review

Statistical correlation coefficient - r

The rise comparative psychology
    George John Romanes (1848-1894)
    C. Lloyed Morgan (1852-1936)

Alexander, B.K., (1996). Historical Foundations to Psychology. Study guide to
psychology 307 -, Centre for Distance Education, Simon Fraser University.

Barros, C. A. (1998). From Beetle Collector to Acclaimed Naturalist. In Autobiography:
Narrative of Transformation. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.

Moore, J. R. (1989). Of love and death: Why Darwin 'gave up Christianity'. In J. R.
Moore (Ed.) History, Humanity and Evolution: Essays for John C. Greene.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.