Social Darwinism
In his most famous book On the Origin of Species, Darwin included four major arguments: that new species appear; that these new species have evolved from older species; that the evolution of species is the result of natural selection; and "that natural selection depends upon variations and the maintenance of variation in spite of the tendency of natural selection to eliminate 'unfit' variants" (403). After Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, Herbert Spencer(1820-1903) took hold of Darwin's theory of natural selection and applied it to society as well as evolution. He strayed from biology to society. Spencer's ideas became known as Social Darwinism. The theory of natural selection holds that only the most well-adapted individuals in a population will survive and reproduce. These successful individuals pass on their adaptive advantage to their offspring. Over many generations, the process ensures the adaptation of the entire population to its environment. This holds true in the jungle, but it was Spencer who coined the phrase "survival of the fittest" to describe the competition among human individuals and groups. He argued that human progress resulted from the triumph of more advanced individuals and cult
Beyond the exact definition of Darwinism, many people found personal applications to the scientific doctrine. Not only was survival of the fittest an established truth in nature, it was also more than evident in human society. Many people, after reading the benefits associated with reproduction of the strong, began to place human activity under the scrutiny of science. Those who found that the principles of Darwinism advocated their personal goals in society took great lengths to spread the word of Social Darwinism. This was a doctrine that called for free competition among humans and a setting in which the dominating class was the major contributor of offspring. A further example would be: But although the idea and theory of Social Darwinism is relatively straight forward, its impact on the progress of man and society is not so easily seen. As social Darwinism supports "survival of the fittest," it is only through this that we can see what influence it had on societies progress. The theory contends that all human progress depends on competition. Social Darwinists believed that this competition was a natural process and any interference with this process would have perilous results. Because society is made up of a number of different people, who fall into different classes, social Darwinism worked for some but not for all. It brought the men who were already in power into greater control, but kept the lower classes and minorities at a stand still. A friend of Darwin once wrote him, saying: ures over their inferior competitors. Wealth and power were seen as signs of inherent "fitness," while poverty was taken as evidence of natural inferiority. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Social Darwinism was used to argue for unrestrained economic competition and against aid to the "unfit" poor. The theory was also used to justify racist and imperialist policies in Europe and the United States. Social Darwinist ideas fell from grace in the early 20th century; Herbert Spencer's reputation as a philosopher and social theorist toppled with it. Spencer once wrote of society. The primary supporters of Social Darwinism included the hard-nosed capitalists who fought for laissez faire. These people wanted an economic market that was free from outside regulation. They
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Approximate Word count = 1545
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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