VONNEGUT, Kurt.

£17,500 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Unpublished typescript essay on Darwinism. An exceptional unpublished typescript, hand-corrected by the author, in which Vonnegut attacks social Darwinism and the "fat cat demagogues" who weaponize science to legitimize their inhumanity. Material of this calibre is rare in commerce, and this is a particularly engaging glimpse into the 64-year-old's humanist concerns, deriving from the estate of his English publisher, Tom Maschler.This is a witty and passionate piece in which Vonnegut expresses affection for Darwin and his fellow scientists (Vonnegut's brother included). He meditates on a cruise he took with his wife Jill Krementz in 1982 in preparation for his 1985 novel Galápagos and explains what he thinks is the core motivation of most scientists: not the advancement of human knowledge, but a simple "love for Creation" and impulse to learn about the natural world. His gentle criticism of scientific tribalism and superiority lays the basis for his real object of attack. Vonnegut defends the teaching of Darwinism in schools while rallying against the political leaders who use evolutionary theory as a justification for imperialism, racism, eugenics, and social inequality. "Hitler's SS comes to mind" as an example of those in power using Darwinism as an excuse to "behave cruelly towards the weak". He sees these abuses of Darwinism as directly related to the movement against teaching it in schools. He suspects that the real reason people object to the teaching of evolution is n

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