Marxism and Darwinism

In northern climes, the polar bear Protects himself with fat and hair, Where snow is deep and ice is stark, And half the year is cold and dark, He still survives a clime like that By growing fur, by growing fat. These traits, O bear, which thou transmittest Prove the Survival of the Fittest.

To polar regions waste and wan, Comes the encroaching race of man, A puny, feeble, little bubber, He has no fur, he has no blubber. The scornful bear sat down at ease To see the stranger starve and freeze―― But, lo! the stranger slew the bear, And ate his fat and wore his hair; These deeds, O Man, which thou committest Prove the Survival of the Fittest.

In modern times the Millionaire Protects himself as did the bear: Where Poverty and Hunger are He counts his bullion by the car: Where thousands perish still he thrives―― The wealth, O Croesus, thou transmittest Proves the Survival of the Fittest.

But, lo, some people odd and funny, Some men without a cent of money―― The simple common human race Chose to improve their dwelling place: They had no use for millionaires, They calmly said the world was theirs, They were so wise, so strong, so many, The Millionaires?――there wasn’t any. These deeds, O Man, which thou committest Prove the Survival of the Fittest.

――Mrs. Charlotte Stetson.

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

I. Darwinism 7

II. Marxism 16

III. Marxism and the Class Struggle 19

IV. Darwinism and the Class Struggle 22

V. Darwinism Versus Socialism 27

VI. Natural Law and Social Theory 33

VII. The Sociability of Man 36

VIII. Tools, Thought and Language 42

IX. Animal Organs and Human Tools 50

X. Capitalism and Socialism 54

MARXISM and DARWINISM

I. DARWINISM.

Two scientists can hardly be named who have, in the second half of the 19th century, dominated the human mind to a greater degree than Darwin and Marx. Their teachings revolutionized the conception that the great masses had about the world. For decades their names have been on the tongues of everybody, and their teachings have become the central point of the mental struggles which accompany the social struggles of today. The cause of this lies primarily in the highly scientific contents of their teachings.

The scientific importance of Marxism as well as of Darwinism consists in their following out the theory of evolution, the one upon the domain of the organic world, of things animate; the other, upon the domain of society. This theory of evolution, however, was in no way new, it had its advocates before Darwin and Marx; the philosopher, Hegel, made it even as the central point of his philosophy. It is, therefore, necessary to observe closely what were the achievements of Darwin and Marx in this domain.

The theory that plants and animals have developed one from another is met with first in the nineteenth century. Formerly the question, “Whence come all these thousands and hundreds of thousands of different kinds of plants and animals that we know?” was answered. “At the time of creation God created them all, each after its kind.” This primitive theory was in conformity with the experiences had and with the oldest information that could be got. According to the information, all known plants and animals have always been the same. Scientifically, this experience was thus expressed, “All kinds are invariable because the parents transmit their characteristics to their children.”