Review of Peter Singer, A Darwinian Left: Politics, Evolution, and Cooperation

Abstract

Darwinism maintains a dual identity as both a foundational biological framework and a historical tool for justifying social hierarchies through racist and teleological narratives. This conceptual tension has led the political Left to regard evolutionary theory with suspicion, frequently overlooking its potential to provide a naturalistic basis for human equality. Integrating biological science into progressive political thought requires moving beyond a “Hobbesian” caricature of evolution that prioritizes perpetual aggression and competition. Such distortions often reflect the ideological constraints of capitalist social relations rather than the empirical reality of natural selection, which fundamentally concerns life-sustaining activities and complex webs of interdependence. While some attempts to reconcile evolution with Leftist politics rely on oversimplified views of Marxism or fail to account for the broader cultural sources of scientific misunderstanding, a rigorous application of Darwinian theory demonstrates that biology provides no inherent support for racism, sexism, or class privilege. Instead, the biological sciences corroborate a materialist understanding of humanity as a species defined by its capacity for cooperation and social development. Reclaiming evolutionary theory from its historical misinterpretations allows for a more scientifically grounded approach to ethical and political reform. – AI-generated abstract.