Evolution and Ethics

In 1893, Thomas Henry Huxley—the great biologist and champion of Darwin—delivered a lecture that challenged both his contemporaries and the generations to come. 'Evolution and Ethics' is not a simple endorsement of natural selection as a guide for human conduct; it is a profound meditation on the tension between the ruthless mechanics of evolutionary change and the human aspiration for justice, compassion, and social order. This modern reader's edition renders Huxley’s original text into clear, present-day English while preserving its intellectual force and historical nuance. With a biographical introduction, a glossary of key terms, and selected passages that capture the work's most memorable insights, this volume makes one of the most important essays in the history of evolutionary thought accessible to today’s general reader. Whether you are new to Huxley or revisiting a classic, this edition invites you to engage directly with a mind that helped shape modern science and philosophy. Part of The Modern Wisdom Library.