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Social Darwinism Emerges and Is Used to Justify Imperialism, Racism, and Conservative Economic and Social Policies Science and Its Times, 2001 from World History in Context population were most likely to be successful, reproduce, and pass their beneficial adaptations on to their offspring. Poorly Overview adapted members, he asserted, probably would not survive and Social Darwinism was a therefore would not pass their lower quality traits to the next sociological theory generation. popular in late nineteenth-century Europe and the United What did you learn about Darwin’s theory of the “struggle for survival”? States. It merged Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection and Herbert Spencer's sociological theories to justify imperialism1, racism, and laissezfaire2 social and economic policies. Social Darwinists argued that Social Darwinists argued on the basis of Darwin's theory of individuals and groups, just like plants and animals, competed natural selection that the best adapted humans naturally rose to with one another for success in life. They used this assertion to the top of social, political, and economic strata. Therefore, they justify the status quo by claiming that the individuals or groups argued, those members at the top of society, either by virtue of of individuals at the top of social, economic, or political hard work or birth, were the best-adapted citizens. They used hierarchies belonged there, as they had competed against others this rationale to argue against welfare policies that would help and had proven themselves best adapted. Any social or political the poor by redistributing resources from the most fit members intervention that weakened the existing hierarchy, they argued, to the least fit, which they claimed would violate the natural would undermine the natural order. order and allow the perpetuation7 of less fit members. Darwin 3 himself did not promote social Darwinism and probably would What is Social Darwinism? have opposed many of the claims of social Darwinists. Darwin’s theories revolved around competition in the natural word. How is Social Darwinism different? Background Darwin's theory of natural selection and the subsequent arguments by social Darwinists were based heavily on the work of Thomas Malthus 1766-1834), an early nineteenth-century British clergyman who wrote Principles of Population. Malthus predicted that food resources increased arithmetically while human populations, unchecked by war, disease, or famine, increased geometrically. The disparity4 between resources and population meant a constant struggle among members of a given population for scarce resources. Darwin (1809-1882) applied the Malthusian principle to the natural world and posited5 his theory of natural selection. In Origin of Species (1859) he argued that the scarcity6 of natural resources led to competition among individuals, which he called "the struggle for survival." Through this competition, the best-adapted members of a given Social Darwinism was the product of late nineteenth-century economic and political expansion. As the European and American upper class sought to extend its economic and political power, it employed scientific explanations to justify the increasingly obvious gap between rich and poor. The social Darwinists' reliance on natural laws allowed social, political, and scientific leaders to dismiss those who sought to redistribute wealth and power by claiming that reformers were violating the natural hierarchy. By extending their arguments to address entire nations, some social Darwinists justified imperialism on the basis that the imperial powers were naturally superior and their control over other nations was in the best interest of human evolution. The increasing public interest and respect for the Spencer was well known in Europe, but he was especially sciences also contributed to the success of social Darwinism, as popular in the United States because his work provided policies that had the stamp of scientific legitimacy were accepted Americans with a scientific justification for free competition, as above political interest or influence. which was widely recognized as the most effective path to economic progress. How can Social Darwinism lead to dangerous thinking? William Graham Sumner (1840-1910), a Yale sociologist, was another prominent American social Darwinist. In What the Social Classes Owe to Each Other, Sumner argued against governmental and private charity attempts to improve the conditions of the lower classes. Like Spencer, Sumner believed that society evolved and operated in a deterministic11 fashion and any attempt to alter social hierarchies was doomed to failure. Using Impact While Darwin coined the term "struggle for survival," it was Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) who invented and popularized the concept of "survival of the fittest," and Spencer is widely considered the chief proponent8 of social Darwinism. Spencer's synthesis9 of evolutionary thought with sociology, psychology, and philosophy provided the stamp of scientific justification to the social and political leaders who sought to preserve the status quo10 and promote unrestrained competition. Originally trained as an engineer, Spencer developed an increasing interest in the natural and social sciences and proposed theories that linked them under the umbrella of evolution. He believed that biological evolution had brought about human intellect, which in turn produced society. Therefore, he argued, human intellect and social activities were products of biological evolution, and all three operated on natural laws. His work was a clear reflection of English industrialism, which was dedicated to promoting his authority as a scientist, Sumner legitimated aggressive competitive practices of American businessmen by declaring their activities to be the source of human evolutionary progress. The best known American opponent of social Darwinism was Lester Ward (1841-1913), a paleontologist and one of the founders of sociology in America. Ward argued against the social Darwinists' natural justifications for the status quo and posited the theory of Telesis, or planned social evolution. While social Darwinists focused on the role of competition in the natural and social worlds, Ward highlighted the importance of cooperation and marshaled historical evidence against Sumner to argue that human progress was the product of cooperative activities and intelligence, not merciless competition. He used this analysis to urge social and political leaders to adopt measures deliberately aimed at social improvement. What do opponents of Social Darwinism argue? competition, exploitation, and struggle in the human social realm. He asserted that all aspects life, be it human, plant, or animal life, were guided by the constant struggle in which the weak were subjugated by the strong. However undesirable humanitarians might find this process, he argued, it was the natural order of things and could not be altered by charity, welfare policies, or legislative actions. What did Spencer believe about a person’s place in society? Source Citation: "Social Darwinism Emerges and Is Used to Justify Imperialism, Racism, and Conservative Economic and Social Policies." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale, 2001. World History in Context. Web. 17 July 2016. 1. Imperialism - a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or 7. Perpetuate - make (something, typically an undesirable situation or an unfounded belief) military force. continue indefinitely 2. Laissez-faire - a policy or attitude of letting things take their own course, without interfering. 8. Proponent - a person who advocates a theory, proposal, or project. 3. Hierarchy - a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the 9. Synthesis – the combination of ideas to form a theory or system. other according to status or authority. 10. Status quo - the existing state of affairs, especially regarding social or political issues. 4. Disparity - a great difference. 11. Determinism - the doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately 5. Posit - put forward as a basis of argument. determined by causes external to the will. 6. Scarcity - the state of being in short supply; shortage.