Political descent : Malthus, mutualism, and the politics of evolution in Victorian England / Piers J. Hale.

Chicago ; London : The University of Chicago Press, [2014]

442 pages ; 24 cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: The politics of evolution -- Every cheating tradesman: the political economy of natural selection -- A very social darwinist: Herbert Spencer's Lamarckian radicalism -- A liberal descent: Charles Darwin and the evolution of ethics -- Liberals and socialists: the politics of evolution in Victorian England -- Malthus or mutualism?: Huxley, Kropotkin, and the moral meaning of Darwinism -- Of mice and men: Malthus, Weismann, and the future of socialism -- Fear of falling: evolutionary degeneration and the politics of panmixia -- Conclusion: Political descent: anticipations of the Twentieth Century and beyond -- Afterword: Engaging the present.