Evolutionism – the hidden face of entrepreneurship

This text presents the origin of three apparently unconnected concepts: evolutionism as a current of thought influenced and continues to influence ways of thinking; liberalism orients the functions of the state and individuals’ commitment to progress; and behavioral psychology defines the suitable profile for the entrepreneur. The aim here is to interpret the limits of entrepreneurship as a way to achieve social progress, one that in its genesis was established in the figure of the innovative businessman. The theoretical effort is to analyze the possible correlation between the currents of thought of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the model of the entrepreneur that is currently widely urged as the solution to problems such as unemployment and low income. It seeks to shed light on the theoretical influence of each of these currents of thought and how they may have influenced the present concept of the entrepreneur, follows with some comments on the possible results of melding these theories, and finishes with some considerations on the possible implications of how the Brazilian Service to Support Micro and Small Businesses (Sebrae) defines the entrepreneur. This enterprising spirit may well present characteristics that condition business performance to the point of determining success or failure of the various personal initiatives in the business world. These questions, addressed together, suggest that the problem merits more study, without forgetting that the ideological component may have strongly influenced today’s theories on the theme.