SOC 3113 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: George Herbert Mead, Social Darwinism, Evolutionism
Theoretical thinking in Sociology April 25th
Sociobiology and Social Darwinism
• Social Darwinists apply Darwi’s theory of evolution to human societies
• View human existence as survival of the fittest
o The strong will or should have more wealth and power, while the weak will or should
have less wealth and power
• Gilman found aspects of social Darwinism problematic
o Modern world is more complex
o Assumes meritocracy
• Focused on evolution of gender inequality
o How the evolution of gender inequality is structured by the female body
o And in turn how the evolution of gender inequality has affected the female body
• To evolve a productive economy and complex social relations, patriarchy and monogamy were
naturally selected
o Woe’s odies haged--- developed exaggerated secondary sex characteristics to
attract mate
▪ Wide hips
▪ Large breasts
▪ Shoulders not broad
• We now dominate natural environment and have complex relations extending far past kinship.
• Social environment now more important than natural environment
• Early adaptive changes of patriarchy, monogamy, and exaggerated differences between the
sexes now dysfunctional for society.
• Gilman was arguing not for equality but for choice. Women and men are different but pressure
should be removed from women and valued for the characteristics such as caring.
George Herbert Mead
• Biography
• Theoretical influences
o Pragmatism
o Behaviorism
o Evolutionism
• Biography
o Born in South Hadley, Mass in 1863
o Son of Congregationalist minister
▪ Started college at 16
o Graduate work at Harvard
▪ Philosophy and psychology
o Taught philosophy at the U of Michigan for 2 years
o Left Michigan for newly founded U of Chicago
▪ To work with John Dewey in Dept of Philosophy
o Committed to progressive causes
▪ Envisioned creation of social utopia
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