Darwin, Freud, Marx, and Feminism

Darwin:

- English naturalist

- Darwin believed in evolution, which challenged old beliefs

- he offered explanation for process of change

- Natural selection: species developed certain traits as they grow in order to gain an advantage in society and thus only the superior members of that species reproduced…so the ones with the old traits died out.

- Humans probably evolved from simpler forms of life

- religious groups opposed Darwin – he threatened the basis of their beliefs

- his ideas inspired others to form “survival of the fittest”, which provided justification for the governments to abandon the poor people….it would upset the natural order.

Social Darwinism:

The notion that certain species were superior to others and were therefore able to dominate them. People should not care about the inferior beings. This served as a rationale for Europeans to dominate and enslave African and Asian colonies in the age of Imperialism.   This was also an impetus for Anti Semitism

Impact on 1800s psych…philosophy…and politics

Psychology – his theory that humans and animals were from same ancestor lead to comparative psychology.

-His theories caused scientists study similarities and differences between people

-His theories led psychologists to connect biology with their theories on human behavior etc.

Philosophy – his theories suggested that some are superior to others “survival of the fittest” and having no sympathy. His thoughts also made people question their religious philosophy.

Political – justified imperialism and encouraged competition among countries thru expansion.

This explained why some countries did better than others….

Freud:

- Father of psychoanalysis

- He explored the human subconscious.

- Id, Ego, Superego:

     Id – evil, selfish, animalistic part of human mind

     Superego – rational, logical, reasoning part of the mind – righteous  

     Ego – balance of the two that governs our behavior.

 - In his Interpretation of Dreams, Freud claimed dreams reveal the inner workings of the mind’s subconscious world. Figures in dreams represent aspects of the subconscious.

 - The subconscious part of our mind drives us to behave the way we do without knowing it.

 - In his Civilization and its Discontents, Freud questioned the premise of human progress and instead claimed that despite our attempts to suppress it, violence is the core of our nature.

Enlightenment:

Enlightenment ideals promoted human reason and that man could accomplish anything thru his reasoning abilities. Focused on the intellectual aspect of the human mind. Believed that humans should use the “reason” function of the mind – reason was not its own entity – Immanuel Kant.

Challenges in the 1800s of the Enlightenment:

Locke believed that the mind was born a blank slate and that society’s education enhanced the mind and our reason.

Darwin and Freud directly challenge this by saying that our actions and capabilities are based on our biological makeup and do not depend on education and intellectual growth.

Marxism:

Marxism founded socialism.

He believed that the classes of society under capitalism would ultimately result in rebellion of the lower class and then chaos  à proletariat class (working class), which were necessary to create a classless, ideal society. This society would arise because the lower classes would revoke private property and create a world where everything was shared economically.

Liberalism views of progress and rationality in 1800s: 

- Liberalists wanted change and focused on human rights b/c they had the capability to handle themselves.

- Politically – they wanted a representative government because they believed that individuals could express their votes based on rational thought. HUMAN rights.

- Socially – middle class members were liberalists – many of them were professional lawyers and doctors. They believed that they were capable of providing for themselves thru their reason and thinking abilities.

- Economically – Laissez – faire – Adam Smith: concept that government should not be involved in country’s economy because the individuals were capable of handling it themselves through reason and ability. Focused on free trade. Everyone can have the right to do this….humans are capable!

Women’s movement pre 1914- The idea of feminists and feminism began as a growing number of women began to criticize he civil disabilities under which they lived, such as the lack of right to divorce or to possess property rights. Suffragists worked to get a womens vote peacefully while the womens social and political union used more aggressive behavior in their policies.

Traditional Beliefs- Religion: rejection of Christianity, G-d isn’t involved in every day life, and atheism

Political: self governing (Lock and Rousseau)…but most were opposed to democracy and wanted a monarchy

Education: Laissez Faire, free trade, and enterprise (adam smith)

Psychological: knowledge based on sensory experience, no pre-conceived notions

Gender: Women used their place to advance women’s rights

Socialism Changes- economically, the industrial revolution caused the people to want more rights since they were now considered just as important as the Bourgeis- social classes were changed and were no longer based on land owning and agriculture…

Socially, there was a new class- proletariat- who wanted more rights as a class themselves

Politically, Marxism wanted to prevent rationalism from taking away rights from workers

FRQs

Describe and analyze the ways in which Marxism, Freudianism, and the women’s movement (and maybe Darwin) challenged traditional European beliefs before the First World War.

A) Marxism- revolt in social classes to upset the balance of society- Enlightenment/past ideals of monarchy, anti-democracy; importance of the middle, working class to the economy- ideal of sharing that was not thought of in past

B) Freud- Enlightenment ideal of reason that people could thrive through their intellect while Freud sees our inner-animalistic being (id), the subconscious that drives our actions and thoughts

C) women’s movement- challenged past gender inequality- new opportunities for education, rights of divorce, suffrage

Evaluate how the ideas of Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud challenged Enlightenment assumptions about human behavior and the role of reason.

Traditional- self-governing, laissez faire, knowledge based off senses, economic equality (not just working class)

1) Government- Darwin says we can conquer those weaker than us- imperialism

2) Human behavior- Darwin says we act “survival of the fittest” and Freud says we act animalistic and based on our subconscious, Freud- violence is our essence as humans

3) Challenge of reason- Enlightenment sees knowledge coming from sensory experience, Darwin believes we grow and learn based on our need to become better than everyone else

4) Education and growth- Locke believes that society makes us grow, Darwin and Freud directly challenge this by saying that our actions and capabilities are based on our biological makeup and do not depend on education and intellectual growth.