In his historical perspective on the changes in scientific thought over the last 100 years, Carl N. Degler explores the study of social evolution and the ongoing search for human nature. In Search of Human Nature provides a detailed perspective on the reasons behind the shifting emphasis in social thought from biology, to culture, and again to biology. Degler examines why these changes took place, the evidence and people fostering these changes and why students of human nature decided to accept this momentous change in thought. He suggests varying ideologies as the underlying force behind this shift in the study of social science. From Darwin's theory that human social behaviour has drastically evolved from animals, to the belief that human experience serves as the basic differentiating factor in humans, Degler provides a thorough and captivating examination of the roots of human behaviour.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1972, Degler is a past president of both the Organization of American Historians and the American Historical Association. Here he turns to his largest subject yet, a sweeping history of the impact of Darwinism on our understanding of human nature.

'Degler's book provides pretty fair summaries of a wide range of texts, historical and contemporary. I can imagine that the student and the general reader will find it pretty useful in this respect.' Greta Jones, University of Ulster at Jordanstown, British Journal for the History of Science, Volume 26 - 1993