The Origins of Ethics in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

The 19th century stands out as a period, when Darwin strongly contradicted the commontheories on how species come about and suggested a new theory of evolution. The theory maintains that living beings, including human beings, have evolved through a long struggle into existence in an environment only governed by coincidences without the will of a divine power. This period of evolutionary change has had a pround influence on thoughts over ethics generally regarded as the most distinctive feature of humans. It has been under debate whether there is an innate ethical ability gained through biological evolution. Given that it is wise to explore the early traces of an understanding of evolutionary ethics in the theories suggested by Darwin, this study seeks to investigate how he deals with ethical issues in his theory of evolution, also known as Darwinism.