What Darwin's 'Descent of Man' got wrong on sex and race — and why it matters

The authors of a book marking the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's "Descent of Man" discuss "a most interesting problem" — namely how the naturalist's fundamental misconceptions on sex and race still shape society.

The authors of a book marking the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's "Descent of Man" discuss "a most interesting problem" — namely how the naturalist's fundamental misconceptions on sex and race still shape society.

Most of us have heard of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection and his 1859 treatise, On the Origin of Species. Many more of us will have used the phrase "survival of the fittest" at some point in our lives and probably attributed it to the British naturalist (although, in fact, he borrowed it from a philosopher called Herbert Spencer, a sometime rival of Darwin's).

But let's take a punt here and suggest that far fewer of us have heard of Darwin's later work, The Descent of Man.

Published 150 years ago this February 24, the book explores, among other things, Darwin's theory of sexual selection — a process which he believed was a "complementary force to evolutionary change," as science historian Janet Browne states in A Most Interesting Problem.

Browne wrote the introduction to the new book that discusses what The Descent of Man "got right and wrong about human evolution."

From natural selection to sexual selection

Originally published in two volumes, The Descent of Man covered diverse aspects of animal and human animal life, ranging from comparative anatomy to mental faculties, the ability to use reason, morality, memory and imagination, or how animals choose to have sex and with whom or what.

"Darwin proposed that sexual selection was instrumental in explaining the origin of what he called human 'races' and cultural progress," writes Browne.

He argued that sexual selection explained why humans had broken off into different racial groups. Skin color and hair were important indicators. But according to Darwin, writes Browne, "sexual selection among humans would also affect mental traits such as intelligence and maternal love […] ."

And that even within the racial groups. Darwin wrote: "Man is more courageous, pugnacious, and energetic than woman, and has more inventive genius."

"I believe that Darwin truly was trying to explain the biological roots of the historical development of civilization," wrote Browne in an email to DW. "He thought sexual selection was an important factor in the development of the human mind as well." But, Browne concedes, one is "not alone in finding [Darwin's thoughts] problematic."

Darwin: A product of his time?

Let's make no mistake: It would be impossible for us to offer an exhaustive analysis of Darwin or The Descent of Man in this short article. We've got 900 words max (although I'll probably go over).

So, this is far more about the legacy of that book and how

Was Charles Darwin racist and sexist or "just a man of his time"?

Re-evaluating Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man