The Evolution of Social Darwinism
The Holocaust was an acceptable form of natural selection. Welfare takes money away from hardworking individuals and gives it to the idle, the useless members of our society. 59.4% of America's wealth is held by the top 5% of its population. The conception of Social Darwinism in the late 19th century led to the type of ideology used here and justifies that appalling fact. Historically, the stronger, more capable members of society have thought of themselves as being better than those that are less fortunate than themselves, believing the weak only exist to improve the lives of the strong. In the late 19th century, with the onslaught of a Democratic Revolution, the traditional hierarchical rationalization for this exploitation was lost. In place of these hierarchies emerged a democratic market system. A new system required new justification. Consequently, many writers and philosophers attempted to convey this message, but it was not until Charles Darwin published his biological research on evolution, On the Origin of Species, that these men were able to find justification for their views. However, it is merely that: justification. Such scholars as Herbert Spencer and William Grah
One student who took every one of Sumner's courses at Yale was William Lyon Phelps, who would later become an English Professor at Yale and a world-renown literary critic. Phelps describes a typical classroom conversation with Sumner in his essay, "When Yale was Given to Sumnerology." "Well, suppose some professor of political economy came along and took your job away from you. Wouldn't you be sore?" Be warned that if you wish, as I do, to build a society in which individuals cooperate generously and unselfishly towards a common good, you can expect little help from biological nature. Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish. Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to, because we may then at least have the chance to upset our designs, something that no other species has aspired to (Dawkins, p. 3). It was in this hypothesis that many social scientists found the basis for their own theories.
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Approximate Word count = 2589
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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