Hypocrisy - "Evolutionists for Stalin"

I just finished reading an article entitle "Evolutionists for Stalin". Sounds a lot like “Spring time for Hitler.”

The article blames Darwin's theory of evolution and its materialism for the atrocities of Stalin and Hitler. I find that a mighty stretch. I also find a liberal bashing behind the author's conclusion. As a traditional conservative he believes the bulk of societies ills are due to liberal ideas. Darwin's theory of evolution, in traditional conservative thinking, is a liberal idea, responsible for the atheism that led to fascism, tyranny and a whole host of other problems that have befallen humankind.

Hitler and Stalin acted on something Darwin theorized? One might just as well blame the second law of thermodynamics for their atrocities. That excuse was used in the French Revolution.

I had to read the article again because I was amazed at its conclusion. In a sense its argument passes the buck. It is not like traditional conservatives to blame a doctrine or theory for somebody’s criminal actions, as in this instance. Under conservative thinking people are supposed to be responsible for their own actions. According to conservatives, people are the source of their own criminality, not society in general. However, conservatives recently have been doing what they accuse liberals of, blaming a particular social order for their own failings.

I say that conservatives have failed and are hypocritical because they didn’t try hard enough to stop Hitler or Stalin in their nasty deeds. Conservatives are the ones who didn’t want to enter WW2, an entrance that could have tackled fascism and totalitarianism at the outset.

It was a conservative, a conservative!, Herbert Spencer, who first twisted Darwin’s theory and applied to the social order. He is the one who said that life is about 'the survival of the fittest', not Darwin, as many believe. He was the one, who drew it from Darwin’s theory of evolution, a theory, as we know from reading here, traditional conservative detest. However, conservatives rallied around that mindset once, as a template for organizing society. As I said, that idea suited them once. They thought it would help create the ideal society. Now I understand that is not the way they think because that idea has caused too much brutality in the world. Sounds hypocritical to me.

Conservatives in America detest FDR for having introduced socialistic policies, in the form of the New Deal. He wanted to make a better society than the survival of the fittest conservative dogma offered. So he enacted the New Deal. With it he wanted to temper the harsh consequences of a survival of the fittest society. To this day conservative detest the New Deal because of its attempts to level the playing field between rich and poor. In contrast Hitler and Stalin continued their conservative thinking in their adhered to the conservative dogma of the survival of the fittest. On this side of the Atlantic many conservatives admired Hitler and insisted in not getting involved in WW2 to stop him. They thought he was creating a model society. Sounds hypocritical.

It is the conservatives in America who wanted to continue doing business with Hitler. In so doing they were essentially appeasing him. According to conservatives, appeasement is supposed to be a liberal failing. They always go on about how we liberals are appeasing the terrorists by criticizing the war in Iraq. And they continually point to Neville Chamberlain and how he appeased Hitler by negotiating with him instead of declaring war. Ironically, Chamberlain was a conservative. I guess this is another example of how hypocritical conservatives can be because they are also capable of appeasement.

It is farfetched to say that Darwinian thinking was responsible for Hitler and Stalin’s atrocities. It is as farfetched as thinking that Bush type thinking - hubrisic, self-righteous, unilateral, isolationist, was responsible for 9/11. Come to think of it, I do think that type of conservative thinking was responsible for 9/11. It brought it on with its mean-spiritedness, shallowness, lack of insight and ideological fervor.

I wonder what caused humankind’s atrocities before Darwin came along? I suspect conservatives might say they were caused in anticipation of Darwin.