Darwinism, Dominance & Democracy: The Biological Bases of Authoritarianism

by Steven A. Peterson, Albert Somit

Somit and Peterson seek to explain two apparently contradictory yet well-established political First, throughout human history, the vast majority of political societies have been authoritarian. Second, notwithstanding this pattern, from time to time, democracies do emerge and some even have considerable stability. A neo-Darwinian approach can help make sense of these observations. Humans―social primates―have an inborn bias toward authoritarian life, based on their tendency to engage in dominance behavior and the formation of dominance hierarchies. Reinforcing this bias is an impulse toward obedience. These factors are associated with the propensity of humans to accept authoritarian systems.

Nonetheless, the authors argue, conditions of material abundance combined with another human characteristic―indoctrinability―can foster the emergence and maintenance of democracies. Somit and Peterson assert that an understanding of human nature from an evolutionary perspective can help to explain how and why political systems have developed. They conclude by pointing to policy implications that might enhance the odds of formation and continuation of democratic forms of government. Students and scholars of political science and philosophy, sociology, and human biology will find this an intriguing study.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 1997

About the author

Steve Peterson was born in Kewanee, Illinois. He graduated from Kewanee High School and then received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from Bradley University (in Peoria, Illinois). Then, he went to the State University of New York at Buffalo for graduate study; he received his Ph. D. in Political Science in 1974. He began teaching at Alfred University in 1973 and taught there until he moved to Penn State Harrisburg in 1997.

Steve served as Director of the School of Public Affairs and Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg until July, 2015. He received his Ph. D. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1974. He taught for many years at Alfred University, before moving to Penn State Harrisburg in 1997. His areas of research interest include: American Politics, Public Opinion and Voting Behavior, Biology and Politics, and Public Policy (AIDS policy and education policy). He has authored or co-authored around twenty books, among which are: Darwinism, Dominance, and Democracy; The Failure of Democratic Nation Building: Ideology Meets Evolution, Political Behavior: Patterns in Everyday Life; The World of the Policy Analyst; Human Nature and Public Policy, and over 100 publications. He has served as President of the New York State Political Science Association and the Northeastern Political Science Association. He has served as an officer in the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences (APLS) and Research Committee # 12 (Biology and Politics) of the International Political Science Association.

He retired in summer, 2017 and is now Professor of Politics and Public Affairs Emeritus at Penn State Harrisburg.

Reviews

[Steven Peterson]

Here, my co-author and I argue that humankind's nature makes democracy a difficult form of government to succeed. We also note those conditions under which democracy can emerge and endure.