This paper compares the views of Darwin and Dostoyevsky during the Englightenment Era.

The end of the 19th century saw great change in the way people perceived themselves in the bigger picture of things. The notions of Enlightenment thinking, man's perfectibility and the formation of the utopian societies were crumbling, while hubris amongst people was growing. The exploration into what was deemed irrational thinking was beginning and was noted by the famous writings of Charles Darwin and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Charles Darwin published his second book, The Descent of …

…thinkers and their writings were greatly criticized for going against Enlightenment thinking. Darwin however didn't full go against Enlightenment thinking, in his conclusions he wrote that the possibility still existed for the better qualities of man to win out and for there to be a higher and more powerful destiny for man. Dostoyevsky on the other hand was flagrantly bashing Enlightenment, causing people to step back and take a look at what their priorities were.