Darwin and the Emergence of Evolutionary Theories of Mind and Behavior

With insight and wit, Robert J. Richards focuses on the development of
evolutionary theories of mind and behavior from their first distinct
appearance in the eighteenth century to their controversial state today.
Particularly important in the nineteenth century were Charles Darwin’s
ideas about instinct, reason, and morality, which Richards considers
against the background of Darwin’s personality, training, scientific and
cultural concerns, and intellectual community. Many critics have argued
that the Darwinian revolution stripped nature of moral purpose and
ethically neutered the human animal. Richards contends, however, that
Darwin, Herbert Spencer, and their disciples attempted to reanimate
moral life, believing that the evolutionary process gave heart to
unselfish, altruistic behavior.