darwinism

Noun capitalized: Darwinism

Darwinism (countable and uncountable, plural Darwinisms)

1. (uncountable, evolutionary theory) Charles Darwin's theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection (set out chiefly in his works On the Origin of Species, 1859; and The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, 1871); also, belief in this theory.
   • [W]e do not hesitate to assert that it [Darwin's theory] is as superior to any preceding or contemporary hypothesis, in the extent of observational and experimental basis on which it rests, in its rigorously scientific method, and in its power of explaining biological phenomena, as was the...1860 April 1, [Thomas Henry Huxley], “Art. VIII.—Darwin on the Origin of Species. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection; or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for...

   Synonyms:

   Darwinianism

   1. (abbreviation, uncountable, evolutionary theory) Short for neo-Darwinism (“the synthesis of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection with the modern genetic understanding of heredity”).
   2. (broadly, uncountable, evolutionary theory) Any of various theories in biology which apply aspects of Darwin's theory (noun sense 1) such as adaptation, competition, or gradual evolution; also, belief in such a theory.
   3. (broadly, uncountable, evolutionary theory) Any of various theories, now generally discredited, which apply aspects of Darwin's theory (noun sense 1) to other situations such as the development of ideas, organizations, or social groups.
      • social Darwinism
   4. (broadly, evolutionary theory, generally) A process of gradual evolution; also, ruthless competition for achievement or survival.
2. (historical, poetic) Erasmus Darwin's poetic style, or theory of natural philosophy suggesting that living organisms developed from simpler lifeforms (set out in his work Zoonomia, 1794–1796).
   • The blank verse of Queen Mab differs little from that measure as it appears in the poems of Akenside, who exercised considerable influence over such poets as escaped from the popular vortex of Darwinism.1840 January–April, “Article IV. The Poetical Works of P[ercy] B[ysshe] Shelley. London: Moxon. 1839 [book review].”, in The British and Foreign Review; or, European Quarterly Journal, volume X...

   Synonyms:

   Darwinianism