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What is socialdarwinism?

Updated: 8/17/2019
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10y ago

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Social Darwinism is a quasi-philosophical, quasi-sociological view that came from the mind of Herbert Spencer, an English philosopher in the 19th century. It did not achieve wide acceptance in England or Europe, but flourished in this country, as is true of many ideologies, religions, and philosophies. A good summary of Social Darwinism is by Johnson: In these years, when Darwin's Origin of Species, popularized by Herbert Spencer as "the survival of the fittest, " and applied to races as well as species in a vulgarized form, Social Darwinism, the coming Christian triumph was presented as an Anglo-Saxon Protestant one. Social Darwinism is by no means dead, for vestiges of it can be found in the present. ___________________________________________________________________ For a very biased, highly ideological view see: http://www.harunyahya.com/books/darwinism/social_weapon/social_weapon01.php basically racism, It was used in the imperialistic ages to rationalize taking over other countries. "Survival of the Fittest" This phrase was made up by Herbert Spencer. Social Darwinism is an evolved form of Darwinism, a concept made up by Charles Darwin. == Social Darwinism was not the unified, monolithic theory that many seem to suppose. The versions espoused by Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) and Francis Galton (1822-1911) tried to identify the conditions necessary for the "survival of the fittest" in society as well as nature. They were aware that conditions in society are not, and cannot be, the same as in the "state of nature". Obviously, the last thing they wanted was fighting between the brawny lower orders and middle-class intellectuals like themselves. In society, "fitness" consists above all in intelligence and hard work (not brute physical fitness). It is no coincidence that Francis Galton played a pioneering role in developing the psychometric intelligence theory. The theory was popular among some because it seemed to provide a biological case for laissez faire capitalism, minimal welfare and low taxes. In some versions of Social Darwinism it was claimed the advanced technological achievements of parts of Europe and of North America demonstrated "racial superiority". In Europe, Social Darwinism was generally pessimistic, but in the U.S. it was seen as underpinning belief in the boundless potential of progress. Note that some historians believe that the role of Herbert Spencer in the development of Social Darwinism has been greatly exaggerated. In particular, Spencer tended towards versions of evolutionary theory that stressed mankind's adaptability rather than natural selection. Please see the link to the Wikipedia article on him, especially the section on evolution. Neither Herbert Spencer nor Francis Galton advocated social engineering, let alone biological engineering. Moreover, Charles Darwin himself urged against Social Darwinism. Eugenics - or selective human breeding - goes significantly beyond Social Darwinism.

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Josianne Prohaska

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2y ago
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10y ago

the belief that who is stronger shall win by darwin himself

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Who was the 19th century clergyman who wrote about population and hunger?

Thomas Malthus (1766-1834). His influence on SocialDarwinism was immense.