Annals of the History and Philosophy of Biology

48
Annals of the History and Philosophy of Biology, Vol. 10 (2005)
Eve-Marie Engels
of Christian ethics and Darwin’s “new ethics” (Everett 1878). In the reception of Darwin’s
thought in Russia, the aspect of cooperation was emphasized most prominently by
K. F. Kessler and Petr Kropotkin. They cited Darwin in placing the “law of mutual aid in
the animal and human realm” alongside the law of mutual confrontation. With his 1909
article entitled “Unvermeidlicher Daseinskampf oder notwendige Harmonie? Darwin
und Kropotkin“ (“Unavoidable struggle for existence or necessary harmony? Darwin
and Kropotkin!”), von Unruh called attention to this important aspect of Darwin’s reception.
9
In an early observation made in a letter to Wilhelm Preyer on March 29, 1869, Darwin
expressed apprehensions concerning the equivocality of the expression “struggle for
existence”, speculating that the German expression “Kampf” etc. did not quite express
the same notion (Darwin in Preyer 1891, pg. 362):
“About the term ‘Struggle for Existence’, I have always felt some doubts, but was unable to draw
any distinct-line between the two ideas therein included. I suspect that the German term, Kampf
etc., does not – give quite the same idea. The words ‘struggle for existence’ express, I think, exactly
what – concurrency does. It is correct – to say in English that two men struggle for existence,
who may be hunting for the same food during a famine, and likewise when a single man is
hunting for food; or again it may be said that a man struggles for existence against – the waves of
the sea when shipwrecked.” 10
The notion “concurrency” reflects the ambiguity which has given rise to so many different
interpretations, for it has several meanings. The Oxford New English Dictionary of
1893 mentions four meaning: “1. A running together in place or time; meeting, combination…2.
Accordance in operation or opinion; cooperation; consent; = CONCUR-
RENCE 3, 4… 3. Pursuit of the same object with another; competition, rivalry … 4. The
quality or fact of being concurrent in jurisdiction; joint right or authority.” (A New English
Dict. 1893, pp. 778f).
Thus “concurrency” can mean “cooperation” or “competition”, depending on the
circumstances under which someone has to struggle for existence. Harmony and unavoidable
struggle for existence can go hand in hand.
3. Conclusion
In light of the previous results I will now underpin the thesis formulated in the introduction,
namely that Darwin’s ethics constitutes neither a primarily biological-scientific, an
evolutionary, or a Social-Darwinistic ethics.
1) As was illustrated, Darwin bases his concrete ethical argumentation primarily on
approaches and discussions of philosophical ethics in the tradition of English and Scottish
moral philosophy as well as on the cultural and religious tradition in which he grew
9 Cf. Kropotkin’s writings from the years 1902 and 1923 for this line of reception. Concerning various interpretations
of the concept “struggle for existence” cf. the informative studies of Daniel Todes (1989 and
1995).
10 I would like to thank the Cambridge University Library for sending me a copy of the English original.