Darwin and the evolutionary foundations of society

Although Charles Darwin never presented an explicit theory of society he wrote extensively on topics related to the origin and evolution of society. His ideas were influenced by classical economists, especially Adam Smith. His naturalistic and comparative studies on diverse societies affected his views on social and economic progress. His research on developmental psychology addressed fundamental issues in the evolution of social behavior. Much influenced by Adam Smith, he related the origin of the moral sentiments and the social instincts to evolutionary theory. Recognizing that families as well as organisms are ontological individuals that can be selected, he explained self-sacrifice largely by competition between groups, and downplayed reciprocity.