INFLUENCE OF DARWIN, MARX AND FREUD ON SCIENTIFIC THOUGHT - SCIENCE - 2025

The influence of Darwin, Marx and Freud on scientific and social thought has been fundamental to the development of our current world view. There is no doubt that some thinkers and scientists from ages past have helped shape history.

Although each of them came from different fields (Darwin from biology, Marx from philosophy and Freud from psychology), they are three of the most influential thinkers in history. Much of our conceptions of the world and our ideas come from their work.

We know the influence has been overwhelming, but how exactly have the ideas of these three geniuses affected our society? In this article we will see in more detail where its influence can be felt.

Darwin: the importance of the theory of evolution

Charles Darwin was the first person to realize the process by which species have formed on our planet through what he called the theory of evolution. However, far from being an important idea only for biology, the influence of his work can be felt in all areas of our society.

Contributions to branches of psychology

For example, in the field of science the branches of psychology and evolutionary biology would not have been possible without their discoveries. Both disciplines help us to better understand the behavior of living beings, including that of human beings.

Specifically, the discoveries of evolutionary psychology have helped us to design ways to maximize our natural talents, and to better understand phenomena such as depression, anxiety, relationships or even obesity.

Social impact

In the social field, Darwin's ideas have had an even greater impact. At the time when the biologist published his discoveries, the Catholic religion still had a great influence on society. Many of Darwin's theories collided head-on against the Church's worldviews, so the scientist had many problems.

For example, Darwin postulated that all species come from a common ancestor and have evolved due to environmental pressures. However, for the Church each species was consciously designed by God, and human beings are the most important of all creation, because we are made in his image and likeness.

However, as more evidence for the theory of evolution has been collected, we humans have lost importance in our own minds as we realize that we are just a slightly more evolved species of primates than our cousins.

Understanding the mechanism by which we emerged as a species has made religion lose much of its importance in recent decades.

Marx and communism: how do they influence modern society?

Marx's ideas are undoubtedly among the most influential and controversial in the world. His analysis of the class struggle as the engine of history, and his idea that all power must rest with the people, have led to the formation of some of the most powerful movements of the entire 20th and 21st centuries.

Engine of change: the working classes

Perhaps the most important reason that Karl Marx has influenced modern thought is that he was one of the first philosophers who was concerned with action as well as reflection. For him, philosophy and science must aim to change things; it is not enough to understand how the world works.

In this sense, Marx believed that the engine of change would be the working classes. In a world in which the proletarians (the majority of the population) lived in terrible conditions, this philosopher thought that there would come a time when they would rebel and a communist system would be established.

These ideas turned out to be true: influenced to a large extent by the ideas of Marx, the Russians decided to take up arms thus creating the Soviet Union, the first great communist country. However, the attempt did not end very well, and today it seems that communism is far from being adopted as a general system of government.

Influence on workers' rights

Many of the Marxist ideas have been applied in today's societies. For example, the formation of trade unions, social security, and increased workers' rights owe much to Marx's theories.

Regarding scientific thought, Marx advocated the importance of rationality and empiricism. Objectivity was extremely valuable to him; This idea has influenced many modern thinkers and can be seen in all branches of the pure sciences, which rely on the scientific method to do their research.

The beginning of psychology: the influence of Freud

The last of the great thinkers in recent history that we are going to analyze is Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychology. Despite the fact that his ideas are often rejected in today's intellectual circles, his influence can still be felt in much of society.

The unconscious

The most important idea contributed by Freud is that most of our behaviors and thoughts are unconscious.

This psychologist thought that we are not aware of most of our mental processes, so to change the way we feel or behave it is necessary to access the deepest layers of our mind.

Origin of modern psychology

Apart from this revolutionary idea, it was Freud's conceptions of psychology that shaped all the later currents of this discipline. Before this Austrian thinker, psychology was limited to studying physical and directly observable phenomena, such as memory or perception.

However, based on his work, new currents such as cognitive psychology or neuroscience were concerned with finding the hidden causes of human behavior.

Thanks to this, although his ideas are no longer accepted in much of scientific circles today, Freud helped create modern psychology as we know it today.

References

1. "The Big Question: How important was Charles Darwin, and what is his legacy today?" in: The Independent. Retrieved on: March 1, 2018 from The Independent: independent.co.uk.
2. "Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought" in: Scientific American. Retrieved on: March 1, 2018 from Scientific American: scientificamerican.com.
3. "Marx Continues to Influence 125 Years After His Death" in: Deutsche Welle. Retrieved on: March 1, 2018 from Deutsche Welle: dw.com.
4. "Karl Marx, yesterday and today" in: The New Yorker. Retrieved on: March 1, 2018 from The New Yorker: newyorker.com.
5. "How Freud Shaped the 20th-Century Mind" in: New York Times. Retrieved on: March 1, 2018 from New York Times: nytimes.com.