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Which scientific and philosophical writers influenced Theodore Dreiser in 1894?
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Theodore Dreiser
His first published novel Sister Carrie had a limited printing because of the controversial subject matter.
While working as a newspaper reporter in Pittsburgh in 1894, Theodore Dreiser was significantly influenced by the works of scientists T.H. Huxley and John Tyndall, as well as the philosophical speculations of Herbert Spencer.1
These readings, combined with his own life experiences, shaped his worldview, leading him to conclude that human beings are largely helpless against the instincts and social forces that govern them. Consequently, he came to view human society as an unequal struggle between the strong and the weak.1