Hearts of Iron: Neo-Darwinists against Darwin? Disputes about Anthropocentrism and Progress in 20th Century Evolutionary Biology
In fundamental works such as On the Origin of Species (1859), The Descent of Man (1871) and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), as well as in minor writings, Charles Darwin established a clear anti-anthropocentric position based on the evolutionary continuity between animals an...
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| Format: | Online |
| Language: | spa |
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Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad
2024
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| Online Access: | https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/42269 |
| _version_ | 1811171481838682112 |
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| author | Anzoategui, Micaela |
| author_facet | Anzoategui, Micaela |
| author_sort | Anzoategui, Micaela |
| collection | Portal de Revistas |
| description | In fundamental works such as On the Origin of Species (1859), The Descent of Man (1871) and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), as well as in minor writings, Charles Darwin established a clear anti-anthropocentric position based on the evolutionary continuity between animals and humans, and between all organisms, including the human species. Nevertheless, several theorists of the modern evolutionary synthesis reinstated anthropocentrism within the theory of evolution, even at the expense of foundational Darwinian ideas. I will analyze the case to try to understand how what has been called the “second narcissistic wound” inflicted by Darwin on humanity operates in this attempt to make biology and anthropocentrism coincide in the twentieth century, against the thought of the father of biology. To understand contemporary anthropocentrism, we will follow some clues to know how, in our culture, there is an antinomy between two ideas produced at different moments of intellectual history: either that man is the center of nature or the exact opposite idea, escaping in certain aspects to his biology through exceptionality. Precisely, the thesis of biological continuity presented by Darwin is one of the most important marks of the epistemological revolution that bears his name, and yet the heirs of his revolution betray this thesis. |
| format | Online |
| id | oai:ojs.revistas.unc.edu.ar:article-42269 |
| institution | Universidad Nacional de Cordoba |
| language | spa |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | oai:ojs.revistas.unc.edu.ar:article-422692024-07-20T03:52:47Z Hearts of Iron: Neo-Darwinists against Darwin? Disputes about Anthropocentrism and Progress in 20th Century Evolutionary Biology Corazones de hierro: ¿los neodarwinistas contra Darwin? Disputas sobre antropocentrismo y progreso en la biología evolutiva del siglo XX Anzoategui, Micaela anthropocentrism human exceptionality progress Darwin antropocentrismo progreso excepcionalidad humana Darwin In fundamental works such as On the Origin of Species (1859), The Descent of Man (1871) and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), as well as in minor writings, Charles Darwin established a clear anti-anthropocentric position based on the evolutionary continuity between animals and humans, and between all organisms, including the human species. Nevertheless, several theorists of the modern evolutionary synthesis reinstated anthropocentrism within the theory of evolution, even at the expense of foundational Darwinian ideas. I will analyze the case to try to understand how what has been called the “second narcissistic wound” inflicted by Darwin on humanity operates in this attempt to make biology and anthropocentrism coincide in the twentieth century, against the thought of the father of biology. To understand contemporary anthropocentrism, we will follow some clues to know how, in our culture, there is an antinomy between two ideas produced at different moments of intellectual history: either that man is the center of nature or the exact opposite idea, escaping in certain aspects to his biology through exceptionality. Precisely, the thesis of biological continuity presented by Darwin is one of the most important marks of the epistemological revolution that bears his name, and yet the heirs of his revolution betray this thesis. En obras fundamentales como On the Origin of Species (1859), The Descent of Man (1871) y The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), Charles Darwin establece un claro posicionamiento anti-antropocéntrico basado en la continuidad evolutiva entre animales-humanos, y entre todos los organismos incluyendo a la especie humana. No obstante, diversos teóricos de la síntesis evolutiva moderna, los neodarwinistas, entre ellos George Gaylord Simpson y Bernhard Rensch, vuelven a instaurar el antropocentrismo en el corazón de la teoría de la evolución, aun a expensas de ideas darwinianas fundacionales, restauradas por Stephen Jay Gould. Analizaré el caso para intentar comprender cómo lo que se ha llamado la “segunda herida narcisista” infringida por Darwin a la humanidad opera en este intento que busca hacer coincidir biología y antropocentrismo en el siglo XX, a costa del propio pensamiento del padre de la biología. Para dar sentido a esta reformulación del antropocentrismo contemporáneo, seguiremos algunas pistas para comprender cómo en la cultura occidental se produce una antinomia entre dos ideas producidas en diferentes momentos de su historia intelectual: que el hombre es el centro de la naturaleza y que no lo es, escapando en ciertos aspectos a su biología mediante la excepcionalidad. La tesis de la continuidad biológica presentada por Darwin es una de las marcas más importantes de la revolución epistemológica que lleva su nombre, y aun así los herederos de su revolución la traicionan. Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad 2024-07-20 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Artículos revisados por pares application/pdf text/html https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/42269 10.55441/1668.7515.n33.42269 Astrolabio; No. 33 (2024): July - December: Towards the End of Human Exceptionality: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on the Animal Question; 52-77 Astrolabio; Núm. 33 (2024): Julio - Diciembre: Hacia el fin de la excepcionalidad humana: miradas multidisciplinarias sobre la cuestión animal; 52-77 Astrolabio; n. 33 (2024): Julho a dezembro: Rumo ao fim da excepcionalidade humana: perspectivas multidisciplinares sobre a questão animal; 52-77 1668-7515 10.55441/1668.7515.n33 spa https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/42269/45737 https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/42269/45800 Derechos de autor 2024 Micaela Anzoategui https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 |
| spellingShingle | anthropocentrism human exceptionality progress Darwin antropocentrismo progreso excepcionalidad humana Darwin Anzoategui, Micaela Hearts of Iron: Neo-Darwinists against Darwin? Disputes about Anthropocentrism and Progress in 20th Century Evolutionary Biology |
| title | Hearts of Iron: Neo-Darwinists against Darwin? Disputes about Anthropocentrism and Progress in 20th Century Evolutionary Biology |
| title_alt | Corazones de hierro: ¿los neodarwinistas contra Darwin? Disputas sobre antropocentrismo y progreso en la biología evolutiva del siglo XX |
| title_full | Hearts of Iron: Neo-Darwinists against Darwin? Disputes about Anthropocentrism and Progress in 20th Century Evolutionary Biology |
| title_fullStr | Hearts of Iron: Neo-Darwinists against Darwin? Disputes about Anthropocentrism and Progress in 20th Century Evolutionary Biology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hearts of Iron: Neo-Darwinists against Darwin? Disputes about Anthropocentrism and Progress in 20th Century Evolutionary Biology |
| title_short | Hearts of Iron: Neo-Darwinists against Darwin? Disputes about Anthropocentrism and Progress in 20th Century Evolutionary Biology |
| title_sort | hearts of iron neo darwinists against darwin disputes about anthropocentrism and progress in 20th century evolutionary biology |
| topic | anthropocentrism human exceptionality progress Darwin antropocentrismo progreso excepcionalidad humana Darwin |
| topic_facet | anthropocentrism human exceptionality progress Darwin antropocentrismo progreso excepcionalidad humana Darwin |
| url | https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/42269 |
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