Business Leaders
Business Leaders
The idea of social Darwinism would have likely appealed to the wealthy and powerful elite within society, as it provided a justification for their position and wealth by suggesting that they were the most "fit" to lead and succeed. It also resonated with those who believed in individualism and competition as driving forces in society.
There are many reasons why Americans would be drawn to Social Darwinism. These Americans could be intrigued by the concepts it presents.
Social Darwinism was a belief that certain individuals or groups in society were inherently superior to others, and that their dominance was justified by the principles of natural selection and survival of the fittest. It promoted a laissez-faire approach to economics and social policy, arguing that interference in the natural order would hinder progress and weaken the gene pool. It was used to justify colonialism, eugenics, and discriminatory practices against marginalized groups.
The theory that discouraged government interference in economic matters was social Darwinism. Some social Darwinists think that governments should not interfere by trying to regulate the economy as this would take away competition and self-interest in social and business matters.
Social Darwinism was the idea of the late 1800's that survival of the human race was dependent on a person being the most qualified to survive. This would be based on their upbringing and their wealth. The rich would get richer and the poor would get poorer is the basic concept.
Social Darwinism was a philosophy that applied Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection to societal development. It suggested that in human society, only the fittest individuals or groups would survive and succeed. This philosophy influenced the Gilded Age by justifying practices such as ruthless competition, laissez-faire capitalism, and social inequality as natural and beneficial for society.
I would hope not, but people don't realize how easy it is to be brain washed. Hitler used this idea of Social Darwinism to execute the Holocaust. He was able to do this because people are trained to listen to authority and follow the majority.
One reason for imperialism was social Darwinism; this theory means that sociology and politics was a reserve for those considered to be naturally selected and fit to survive (natural selection and survival of the fittest).
The idea of social Darwinism was created by English philosopher Herbert Spencer and Yale professor William Graham Sumner by applying Darwin's theory of evolution to society as a whole. Social Darwinism is the theory that the fittest in the social order survive, just as the fittest in nature survive. According to this theory, the only reason that the rich are rich is because they were the most fit to become so, and if the laborers were fit to do the same then they would be rich as well. Reform Darwinism, created by Brown University Professor Lester Frank Ward, follows the idea that because humans are intelligent beings, we can affect natural selection. Contrasting the social Darwinism thought of "survival of the fittest," reform Darwinism argues that government and society should make as many people as possible "fit to survive." The main difference between the two schools of thought is that social Darwinists believe that however social hierarchy exists, it is solely because the "fittest" rose to the top, reform Darwinists believe that the whole of society should be given the opportunities and resources to be able to rise to the top, rather than just the wealthy being able to do so.
Andrew Carnegie, a prominent industrialist and philanthropist, owned a large steel company and believed in the principles of Social Darwinism. Carnegie believed that competition and "survival of the fittest" would lead to progress and success in society.
Social Darwinism is the theory that individuals, groups, and peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals. It was used to justify social and economic inequality, arguing that those who were the fittest would naturally rise to the top while the weak would fall behind.