Charles Darwin was an English biologist known for his theory of evolution, one of the major philosophical upsets of the 19th century. Darwin’s ideas were quickly applied to other spheres of life, such as politics, by thinkers like Herbert Spencer, strengthening the position of materialism in hotly contested debates. This association of Darwin and the materialist movement certainly influences Nietzsche’s animosity toward him, although their disagreements run much deeper, too, with Nietzsche proposing his own alternative theory of nature based on the will to power.
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Charles Darwin Character Timeline in Beyond Good and Evil
The timeline below shows where the character Charles Darwin appears in Beyond Good and Evil. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
8. Peoples and Fatherlands
...“spleen and alcoholic dissipation.” The English, moreover, have no sense of music. Nietzsche then attacks Darwin, Mill, and Spencer for their theories of evolution and utilitarianism, which he finds narrow and...
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