Darwinism and Confucianism

English naturalist and biologist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the Western Hemisphere. His book, On the Origin of Species, published in 1859, revolutionized Western thought.

Darwin's theory is based on the idea of natural selection. Organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. This is largely due to the fact that variation exists within all populations of organisms. Throughout the lives of the individuals their genomes interact with their environments to cause random mutations arise in the genome, which can be passed on to their offspring. Because individuals with certain variants of the trait tend to survive and reproduce more than individuals with other less successful variants, the population evolves.

While most scientists came to accept evolution as descent with modification, not all agreed with Darwin's assertion that natural selection is the primary, but not exclusive, means of modification. Some favored competing explanations that assigned a lesser role to natural selection. One critique is that Darwin placed too much emphasis on the "struggle for existence" and "the survival of the fittest" among individuals, and did not give sufficient consideration to the role of coexistence, unity, interdependence and cooperation within a species, and the importance of ecological balance between species in the evolution of species. (See Pluralism vs. Monism.)

While Darwin's theory has given us a new conception of the world of life and revolutionized the whole study of nature, it also had adverse impacts. One of the negative consequences was the misguided use of the concepts of "struggle for existence" and "survival of the fittest" among individuals to human societies. This has resulted in ideologies such as social Darwinism, individualism, exceptionalism, racism, law of the jungle theory, zero-sum competition, and unipolar hegemony, etc., that pose a threat to human unity, social harmony, and world peace. The harms these ideologies have done to mankind should not be underestimated, as Western civilization ever since Darwin was built on power, warfare, conquest, colonization, genocide, exploitation, and looting of other peoples, with Darwin's fellow countrymen taking a prominent role. These ideologies have also fuelled Western capitalism that led to brutal competitions, severe inequality, depletion of natural resources, destruction of ecological balance, and damage to the environment. (See Democracy vs. Plutocracy.)

Fortunately, Darwinism does not have such a big influence in the East, where Confucianism, which has the greatest influence, emphasizes the unity of man and nature, the shared destiny of mankind, and the harmonious coexistence between people. Confucianism embraces a holistic view, seeing the universe as an integrated whole rather than as disparate entities. It acknowledges that, despite contradictions, harmony prevails, with opposing elements being interrelated, interdependent, and complementary. This worldview seeks the balance of opposites, the integration of diversity, and the harmony of differences, eschewing conflict escalation and adversary elimination.

Furthermore, while Darwinism emphasizes the survival instincts of individual organisms, Confucianism highlights the superiority of humanity over animal instincts. This humanity was summarized by Confucius as 仁 (benevolence, compassion, and love), 義 (righteousness, justice, and equity), 禮 (morality, propriety, and law), 智 (knowledge, wisdom, and reason), and 信 (integrity, good faith, and trustiness). Human society cannot adhere to the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, as seen in the animal world. Instead, as an intelligent and humane species, individuals must undergo enlightenment and moral cultivation to overcome their self-serving limitations and work together as a unified collective for their shared destiny (see Understanding China: Geography, Confucianism, and Chinese-Style Modernization).

Although it may be too early to draw conclusions about the strengths of Eastern versus Western philosophies, the rise of the East and the decline of the West in our times seems to suggest that, ultimately, civilization, collectivism, cooperation, and sharing may be more beneficial to the species than barbarism, individualism, selfishness, and brutal competition. This perspective is supported by tango. (See Philosophies that Separate Two Worlds.)