Known mainly in politics as a revolutionist, in philosophy as an anarchist, and in science as a geographer and geologist, Kropotkin nevertheless made important theoretical contributions to genetics, primarily through his attacks on Charles Darwin (1809-1882), Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895), social Darwinism, and the idea of the survival of the fittest. Kropotkin's attacks inspired a cogent defense of evolutionary theory that resulted in widespread acceptance of the theory by the dawn of the twentieth century. In 1902 Kropotkin published Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution, in which he argued, using social insects among his examples, that natural environmental conditions promote cooperation among individuals and symbiosis between species. Although many scientists also argue that an instinct to cooperate underlies social behavior in some species, Kropotkin's arguments reflecting his fundamental belief that evolution favors the health and survival of the species over the welfare and fitness of individuals and their progeny...