Effects of Social Darwinism Essay - 2918 Words

Introduction The Effects of Social Darwinism on the social trends of the 19th century. â€Å"As a world view, Darwinism cannot of course be refuted, since Faith is, always has been, and always will be, stronger than facts. â€Å" - Francis P. Yockey Social Darwinism is a theory that competition among all individuals, groups, nations or ideas drives social evolution in human societies. The term draws upon Charles Darwins theory of natural selection, where competition between individual organisms drives biological evolutionary change through the survival of the fittest. The term was popularized in 1944 by the American historian Richard Hofstadter, and has generally been used by critics rather than advocates of what the term is supposed to†¦show more content†¦The first advocate of the social Darwinism theory had a major impact on the American society as a whole, starting from economic bases, to the big business minds of the time. In the United States, Spencer gained considerable support among intellectuals and some businessmen, including steel manufacturer Andrew Carnegie, who served as Spencer’s host during his visit to the United States in 1883. The most prominent American social Darwinist of the 1880s was Wil liam Graham Sumner, who on several occasions told audiences that there was no alternative to the â€Å"survival of the fittest† theory. Critics of social Darwinism seized on these comments to argue that Sumner advocated a â€Å"dog-eat-dog† philosophy of human behavior that justified oppressive social policies. Some later historians have argued that Sumner’s critics took his statements out of context and misrepresented his views. This picture depicts the idea behind social Darwinism. IT is a powerful society in which keeps the wealthy, and powerful and kicks out the minority, poor folks who are no longer able to survive in such a materialistic world. Chapter 2: Major Social Trends of the 19th Century There were many aspects of the American life during the 19th century that have changed significantly from the times beforehand. Whether it be from economic policies, religious ideals, or political platforms, there were so many changes being made,Show MoreRelatedSocial Darwinism And Its Effect On Society1069 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"survive,† are called Social Darwinists. Social Darwinism is a competition between groups in society, usually resulting in the most fit, or most capable, coming out on top. Social Darwinists argue that the strong’s power and wealth should increase, whereas the weak’s should decrease. There are different views as to who these weak and strong groups are, but all Social Darwinists agree that the strong should be rewarded and the weak punished. The concept of Social Darwinism is based off of CharlesRead MoreSocial Darwinism And Its Effects On Society1256 Words   |  6 Pagesearly t wentieth century, the work force was extremely dangerous and resulted in many physically disabled people. These people were fired from their job, because they could not physical do their job anymore. â€Å"In the 19th century, supporters of social Darwinism opposed state aid to the poor and otherwise handicapped. They reasoned that the preservation of the â€Å"unfit† would impede the process of natural selection and tamper the selection of the â€Å"best† or â€Å"fittest† elements necessary for progeny† (MunyiRead MoreNatural Selection Means The Animals Who Have Weaker Genetic1608 Words   |  7 Pagescentury. Social Darwinism was created for the purpose to make changes in the world. In the late 19th century, Social Darwinism influenced the society and created immense impacts among the government and the public. Social Darwinism began in late 19th century until the end of World War II. The basic concepts of this theory is the same as Darwin’s Natural selection; losers die and winners remain. This leads to the idea of inequality and racial issues among different ethnics to lower social class workersRead MoreSurvival of the Fittest1409 Words   |  6 Pagesknown as Darwinism, was theorized by scientist Charles Darwin to explain the evolution of animal species. In the late 1800s, however, the idea of Social Darwinism emerged and applied the same concepts of Darwinism but on humans not animals. As defined by the dictionary, Social Darwinism is a belief, popular in the late Victorian era throughout the world, which states that the strongest or toughest should survive and flourish in society, while the weak and unfit should be allowed to die (â€Å"Social† 1)Read MoreEssay on Social Darwinism1197 Words   |  5 Pagesradical and interesting to the scientific world but its effect s reach far beyond this small institution of intellectuals. People applied Darwinism and its belief in survival of the fittest to all areas of life. They used it as a â€Å"natural law† which supported their actions and beliefs. Advocates manipulated the scientific doctrine to fulfill their personal needs and to justify religious beliefs, capitalism, and military conquests.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Darwinism greatly impacted the scientific world purely throughRead MoreSocial Darwinism And Its Impact On Society897 Words   |  4 Pages Social Darwinism was a concept that was an accepted theory in the nineteenth-century. It originated from Charles Darwin, which stated ‘ survival of the fittest’, meaning the poor and weak were going to die and that the rich and powerful received more power and growth. However, even though Charles came up with the ‘idea’ of Social Darwinism, he had other social Darwinists who actually grasped the entire concept of Darwinism and applied it to Social Sciences. Social Darwinists like Herbert SpencerRead MoreRace, Ethnicity, Art and Film Essay826 Words   |  4 PagesThis paper tries to analyze race relations, ethnicity and how art and film relates to these social issues in their cultural context. Art and film have played vital roles in advocating for a society free of ethnicity and racism. Using vivid descriptions and evidence of both text and a movie this paper seeks to relate accordingly the concerned issues and factors affecting these social vices. It will demonstrate race and ethnic tendencies in diverse cultural contexts. As a demographic phenomenonRead More Socialism More Beneficial than Social Darwinism Essay699 Words   |  3 Pages The ideas of Social Darwinism and Socialism were first theorized by those in the age of industrialization, when the gap between the social classes was continuing to grow. Social Darwinism is a philosophy that was taken off of the theory of Darwinism in two aspects that were applied to society. One, survival of the fittest. Those who succeeded in life were the ones who were â€Å"fit†, in addition, those who failed were left to be weeded out, Secondly, the idea of natural selection as applied toRead MoreSocial Darwinism Is An Ideology Of Society1566 Words   |  7 PagesSocial Darwinism is an ideology of society that seeks to apply biological concepts of the laws of evolution by natural selection of evolutionary theory to sociology and politics, often with the assumption that conflict between groups in society leads to social progress as superior groups outcompete inferior ones. How we got to the point of coining the modern term of â€Å"Social Darwinism† we would have to turn to the famous man himself, Charles Darwin. At first glance, Charles Darwin seems an unlikelyRead MoreThe Theory Of Social Darwinism1345 Words   |  6 Pagessociety good. I ask myself, should Mr. Herbert Spencer, Minister Graham Sumner, and Andrew Carnegie come back to life, what will be their response? The aforementioned are the considered the fathers of Social Darwinism. In this essay I will discuss and evaluate the theory of Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism, a theory that supposed that humans are subject to Darwin’s law of evolution just like all other species and therefore when it comes to the society the most socially capable or fit group out on top