Subject: Nietzsche contra Darwin & Marx
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 22:26:00 -0600


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As a followup to BGE 252, I just finished reading _The Descent of Darwin - The
Popularization of Darwinism in Germany, 1860-1914_ written by Alfred Kelly.
It is an excellent introduction into the popular world view within Germany at
the time of Nietzsche. I highly recommend Chapter 7, Darwin, Marx and the
German Workers. It is amazing how Darwinism first melded with, then
supplanted Marxism within the workers movement.

An excellent case in point was Karl Kautsky who was considered the pope
or praeceptor mundi of international socialism and was the leading Marxist
theoretician of the German Social Democratic Party before WWI. He started
out as a Darwinian and then transitioned into a Marxist. He in effect, recast
dialectical Marxism to an undialectical pseudoscientific metaphysics of
evolution. Hence his "orthodox Marxism" is in reality an offshoot of social
Darwinism. In essence, Kautsky did for Marxism what Paul did for Christianity.

It is interesting to note that this previously popular world view, rationalism's
last gasp, is now totally spent with its supporting books unread today
by anyone other than historians of intellectual trends.

Needless to say this pseudo-religious trash is worthless for building a political
world view for the becoming Imperium. Nietzsche, however, is a different story...
with a little judicious weeding here and there...

The proud Viking and Buddha went on a North Pole expedition of the spirit
and it looks as if Buddha froze to death!

John T. Duryea

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