Seen from the perspective of modern political science, Utilitarianism is decidedly more helpful in resolving certain issues in politics and economics. Seen in light of the present economic crisis across the world, there seem to be little merit in free market capitalism and individualism. Utilitarianism, which has many similarities with Socialism and Communism, is especially useful in offering viable solutions. In contrast, Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection had been misinterpreted by some, which has resulted in conceptions such as ‘Social Darwinism’, ‘Corporate Darwinism’ and ‘Eugenics’. While Social Darwinism is based on a crude interpretation of ‘survival of the fittest’, Eugenics is genetic and social engineering of the most inhumane kind. Irrespective of Darwin’s unequivocal view on the superior station of human beings among other species, people in power have carried out brutal acts of genocide in the twentieth century, all in the name of Darwin. To his credit, Darwin had maintained that he was against such tendencies, as is evident from the following passage:
“Man with all his noble qualities, with sympathy which feels for the most debased, with benevolence which extends not only to other men but to the humblest living creature, with his god-like intellect which has penetrated into the movements and constitution of the solar system—with all these exalted powers—Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.” (Charles Darwin, 1871)
Finally, Darwin deduces his theory as he works his way from bottom up. Mill, on the other hand, adopts a top down approach. He first states his principle and later studies its implications on human societies. Natural Selection is a proposed ‘explanation’ for how things work in the natural world, whereas Mill’s principle argues how societies ‘should’ ideally be. This brings us back to the difference mentioned earlier about amoral and moral qualities of the two theories. Furthermore, digressing from a purely scientific approach to evolution, Darwin does reveal a metaphysical aspect to human evolution when he said “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one…from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved” (Charles Darwin, 1859). In a similar digression from his idealized conception of human societies, John Stuart Mill concedes that “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.” (John Stuart Mill, 1861)
Works Cited:
John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, Published by Kessinger Publishing, 2004, ISBN 1419192213, 9781419192210
Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species, Published by Signet Classic, 2003, ISBN 0451529065, 9780451529060