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Darwin, Hitler & the Occult

The Survival of the Fittest?

As the 20th Century began to dawn many new or seemingly new ideas were put on the table. Theosophy took hold with a renewed interest in 'secret' and esoteric knowledge, Volkish Mysticism and Mysticism in general found its place as people reacted to a materialism and secularism that left little hope or color to life. The Church saw the introduction of the "Christian" Existentialists and "Social Gospel" which was more philosophy than religion, and the advent of Bultmann's higher criticism which dismissed from the Scriptures all that did not fit neatly into human reasoning. (See Bultmann The result, and WWI with it's first air war and bombings did little to help, was a European, and especially defeated German people looking for answers, meaning and depth to life in whatever was not tradtional.

At the same time, at the University of Jena and other universities in Germany, the theories of Darwin introduced in the latter half of the 19th century became pre-eminent. Charles Darwin, (1809-1882) published "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life" or "The Origin of Species" in 1859, after years traveling on the HMS Beagle and observing fossil and life form evidence, notably in the Galapagos Islands. 1 Darwin had envisioned and laid the groundwork for the theory of evolution, of changing and mutating life forms over time towards the betterment of the species, which in turn would provide an adaptive mechanisn to the environment. He also proposed that all life rather than created in kind, evolved from the simplest structures, and that we had only to find evidences of transitional forms or 'missing links' to prove this theory. Darwin came into great contention with Biblical thinkers for proposing:

  • An incredibly longer earth age and evolutionary process (millions of years vs 6000) although human history is only recorded for the 6000
  • An opposition to the Creation of God in 6 days in which species were created 'status quo', and not as simple forms which would over history grow into other forms
  • An affront to 'sovereignty of God' issues in which random occurrences and adaptive interactions between life forms and the environment result in the phenotype of modern species and creatures.

    • Throughout history there have been other challenges to 6-day Creation, but Darwin represented the first widely espoused and used theory in the realm of 'science' that undercut the teachings regarding the Origins of Mankind. While it is somewhat controversial, Darwin in an interview with "Lady Hope" is reported in his last days to have said,

    " I made some allusions to the strong opinions expressed by many unbelievers on the history of the creation and then their treatment of the earlier chapters of the book of Genesis. He seemed distressed, his fingers twitched nervously and a look of agony came across his face as he said, "I was a young man with unformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything. And to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion of them." 2

    Others have claimed he did not make the statement, although they were either benefiting relatives, or those who still espoused darwinism.

    Darwin and the Racial Scientists

    As Darwin's Theories were established, a number of European biologists and philosophers began to explore and expand the theory (as yet not proven) to applications to race, Eugenics and the social environment. Several other theorists and philosophers were promoting similar or related ideas: Nietzche gave foundation to the "Super-Man" concept, Existentialism flourished allowing a creation of of moral vacuum, and those exploring the fledgling twists on occultism almost always came back to the notion of an achieveable superior human race which would bring in a utopia. Darwin's theories gave 'scientific' rhetoric to metaphysical

    Darwin, Hitler, Occultism: Priniciples & Summary

  • Natural Selection:

    The superior life form will rise to the top

  • Adaptation:

    The Most fit will adapt better physically and genetically to their environment and therefore survive more often. (SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST)

  • Social Darwinism:

    the laws of nature apply to psychology, politics and society: the most fit will succeed and prevail

  • Racial Struggle

    is natural and beneficial

  • Morality follows:

    it is created by that which adapts and survives

  • Traditional principles of God and Creation are discarded or re-intepreted in favor of a 'Scientism".
  • A "Master Race"

    is an evolved one of perfection and power, the 'spirit' and mind evolve and follow the same principles as does society.

    • discussions. At the University of Jena in Germany, the chair of Zoology, Haeckel would form a synthesis which would influence Biology, Eugenics, Racial Theory and the developing mysticism by incorporating Darwinian principles into the idea of a natural selection and adaptation of the best, brightest and most vigorous individual and race taking forefront. Galton also contributed to the study of those 'genetically' predisposed to be superior in his studies optimally-functioning persons. Indeed, the intelligence-testing movement came about with the study of individual differences with the idea of a superior and inferior type.3

    As Darwin became fully incorporated into the science of the day despite cries of heresy from the more orthodox corners of the Church, another application came forefront which would help to found not only the 'racial science' of the Third Reich, but the political science and Sociology of the Reich as well. It came to be known as "Social Darwinism". While Darwin winced at his theories being made a "religion", others made that into their platform. Otto Ammon, the 'Volkish' Anthropologist declared that Darwinism should be made the "religion of Germany".4 Very soon, occultic groups such the Theosophical Society were espousing the necessity of a more superior and more fit race of humans, the National Socialists and similar parties were espousing the 'natural order' be given its due with Aryans in the lead, and Reich politicians espoused a ruthless take over with themselves as head, given that they were the 'superior' race. Some argued that this racial conflict of a superior race replacing an inferior race was not only acceptable in line of the laws of nature and Darwinism, but actually necessary for the well-being of the world. Aryans were always defined as the 'master race' and in one philosopher's mind, he confined his definitions of superior to only Germans on German soil. 5

    The Struggle

    By the time Hitler came to power, his concept of race and racial policy were firmly established. On the surface he and his men preached a "Social Darwinism" but beneath the surface his world view included thoughts and ideas that if known then would have chilled the world and probably succeeded in stopping him from gaining the stronghold he gained. Even Goebbels, the propaganda minister noted the necessity of keeping interests in Volkish Mysticism quiet when he stated in his conference notes [regarding the Church]: "We will of course, not tell them about Wotan"---referring to the god of Nordic legend. The concept of struggle and battle, [e.g.Mein Kampf7 which appeared in nature as the superior form gained eminience over the inferior form was reflected by the interest in the Norse divinity: they were battle gods, constantly struggling for control, giving reward to the soldier who would die a hero's death. While it may be difficult for the modern mind to return to concepts of Norse gods, the vision and drive behind the Reich was consistent: their metaphysics saw struggle and control and victory of the Master Race, their Science saw the completion of Natural Selection, survival of the fittest and the amelioration of the Perfect 'Type'; their politics saw victory for the New Germany, the new European Order headed by Hitler and the Reich and thier Medicine saw control and prediction that would kill and eradicate the weak and less-perfect, and enhance the physically perfect Super-man. Much of the research at the time of 'racial scientists' lent itself to studies of what constituted physical perfection, such as skeletal studies, feature measurement, twin studies and so on, included the German-federally funded research of Mengele in Auschwitz.8

    Atlantis & Dresden

    The New Germany, which was to be a re-emergence of Atlantis, or at least Thule, a neighboring island of power and perfection, did not materialize. In Philosophy, the outcome of a philosophical position is often challenged as unimportant or even unjust in the consideration of it's worth, although all eyes look to the outcome of any secular philosophy or religion as its measure. The brave, bold, intellectual and physically "superior" Germans got Dresden instead of Atlantis, a reward fostered all over the world. The ruthless struggle for all the wealth, resources and land of Europe couple with the annihilation of the race [the Jews] who had fostered much of it, was fought according to the principles of Social Darwinism ,Ariosophy. and thulean principles but it fell short as everyone else in Europe and both hemispheres struggled in vague notions of superiority as well. The end result was hardly racial perfection: we have expansive human engineering now, growing in part out of the Eugenics of the day, but we also have invented iatrogenic diseases, immunities and viruses we cannot cure. We have the global technology Hitler had hailed, but we harness more often for greed and hubris than for benefit. Our 'breeding' has produced ever new moral and ethical dilemmas as we seek to define perfection in the spirit as aligned with physical perfection. (See Editorial)

    The New Age practices, arts and philosophies which emerged again then have flourished all over the world and found great followings in the US and Europe. Most who are not involved, do not understand, that the same principles apply: Darwinism is foundational now in education, moreso than Darwin himself would have wanted; and new age philosophies, then, like now speak constantly of human perfection and the engineering thereof. It is easy to look back and be horrified at the 'medical experiments' of the day in a 'chrono-centricity' and pride, but we are forming in our own 'national' minds and spirits the same essence: and we will have the same end, only in the future, predictably, greater visions of Atlantis, and greater ends of Dresdens.

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    FOOTNOTES

    1AboutDarwin.com
    2Bombay Guardian, 25th March 1916, by Prof. H. Enoch in Evolution or Creation
    (Union of Evangelical Students of India, P.O. Box 486, Madras 7, India, 1966),
    3Anastasi, A. Individual Differences
    4Helsinki.sk
    5Hentschel, e.g. People Influencing the Nazis
    6Boelke,R. The Secret Conferences of Josef Goebbels
    7Hitler, A. Mein Kampf [My Struggle] in tedium promotes the bio-socio-political view of this 'existential' struggle.
    8"The Mengeles of Gunzburg" in Crime History

    © 2004 Elizabeth Kirkley Best PhD; Shoah Education Project-Web