The American Historical Review · 1992 · 357 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesHistoryAmerican StudiesIntellectual HistorySocial PhilosophyAmerican Intellectual HistoryAmerican Social HistoryHistory Of Social ThoughtHistory Of DarwinismHistory Of Evolutionary ThoughtHistory Of SocietyHuman-nature InteractionsHuman-nonhuman Relations
Over the past century, social science has oscillated between biological and cultural explanations of human nature, prompting a reevaluation of evolutionary theory. The book investigates the causes, evidence, and key figures behind this paradigm shift and why scholars embraced it. Degler concludes that ideological forces—ranging from Darwinian evolution to experiential humanism—have driven the alternation between biological and cultural models of human behavior.
In his historical perspective on the changes in scientific thought over the last 100 years, Carl N. Degler explores the study of social evolution and the ongoing search for human nature. In Search of Human Nature provides a detailed perspective on the reasons behind the shifting emphasis in social thought from biology, to culture, and again to biology. Degler examines why these changes took place, the evidence and people fostering these changes and why students of human nature decided to accept this momentous change in thought. He suggests varying ideologies as the underlying force behind this shift in the study of social science. From Darwin's theory that human social behaviour has drastically evolved from animals, to the belief that human experience serves as the basic differentiating factor in humans, Degler provides a thorough and captivating examination of the roots of human behaviour.