Larry Arnhart is an expert in the history of political philosophy and a leading thinker in the field of American political thought, but he might best be described simply as a “political animal.”
In fact, we’re all political animals, according to Arnhart. And, as the term implies, we can’t truly understand human politics without considering the intrinsic roles of biology and evolution.
In his 2005 book, “Darwinian Conservatism,” and a lively blog by the same name, Arnhart spearheads a new movement among conservatives who believe the scientific theories of Charles Darwin can be applied to human behavior and political thought. He argues that natural selection supports many conservative ideas.
The book has drawn international attention. None other than the New York Times, in a front-page story in 2007, identified Arnhart’s lead role in this emerging conservative philosophy.
“The book comes out of my many years of debating those American conservatives who reject Darwinian science as morally and politically corrupting, and who propose creationism or intelligent design theory as alternatives to Darwinism,” he says. “I argue that Darwin is not the enemy of American conservatives, because Darwinian science can actually support traditional morality, religious belief and political principles of limited government.”
Arnhart also has authored numerous articles, book chapters and conference papers, and his willingness to engage supporters and critics alike has resulted in countless invited speaking engagements nationwide.
Says Carl Mitcham, director of the Henneback Program in the Humanities at the Colorado School of Mines: “In my judgment (Arnhart) is one of the 10 most important political philosophers writing in the United States today.”