Social Darwinism: Impact On The Modern Era

People such as Adolf Hitler used Social Darwinism and Eugenics to justify classifying some people as inferior and the genocide of those people. “A substantial case can be made for social Darwinism as one of the significant factors that led to the war” (Keas, 2010). “Hitler believed that the human gene pool could be improved by using selective breeding similar to how farmers breed superior cattle strains. Hitler’s government relied heavily upon Darwinism, development and implementation of policies designed to protect the superior race” (Bergman,

One of the largest examples of laws and policies put in place that reflect the ideas of Social Darwinism would include the pre-existing condition policy that Health Insurance companies put in place that prevent people from obtaining health insurance. This policy states that someone who is born with/ recently finds out they have a disease will not be allowed to gain health insurance from that company because it is a pre-existing condition before they applied to health insurance. Some of the conditions included are some of the most common, as well as the most deadly, condition in the U.S., such as diabetes.

Social Darwinism was a social theory. The same theories that were from Charles Darwin had been applied to human society. The theories on natural selection and evolution. It known that those who were stronger and superior could enjoy a wealthy and lavish lifestyle. The fittest of survival. Europeans believed that non-Europeans were lower, physically and culturally. This was believed because the Europeans, at the time, were the only people to make scientific and technological breakthroughs.

Social Darwinism was a slight distortion of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, which stated that species change over time because those with heritable traits that help survival are the one’s that reproduce. “Social Darwinists,” like Sumner, applied Darwin’s theory onto the human race, and then used it to justify his views in his article. He claimed that those in society who are powerful are innately better than those who are not, and their superiority is proof of this (Class notes

Social Darwinism is a theory that individuals, peoples, and groups are subject to darwinian laws of natural selection. Another way to describe social darwinism is survival of the fittest. The strongest and the smartest will survive. It is now largely discredited, it was advocated in the late 19th and early 20th century by Herbert Spencer and others. It was used to justify political conservation, imperialism, to discourage intervention and reform and racism. This theory was used to support the laissez faire capitalism and political conservatism.

Social Darwinism is based off of Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. He uses the concept of survival of the fittest. This was used to justify class distinctions and to explain the reason for poverty. Modern science declared that the failure to advance in society was due to the lack of self reliance and determination. They acted down on people who needed government aid. Even during the depression people still believed the notion that the poor were responsible for their fate. The idea of natural superiority was around since the Civil War. So much so, we thought it was okay to own human beings.

Social Darwinism is a term to describe the idea that humans compete for existence just like the rest of the animal kingdom. Darwin used this term to attempt to rationalize racism, capitalism, and imperialism. It simplifies the human’s desire for power. Now it is widely discredited and scrutinized because its a “ rejection of compassion and social responsibility.” (1)

Darwinism opened the door to Social Darwinism which was utilized to classify to people. Social Darwinism was a justification for superior behaviors over people being considered poor and incapable of succeeding due to their social class or race. This is where the survival of the fittest came into place. Classifying people based on how successful they were. The more wealthy a person was the

Many of Americans and immigrants migrated to the cites to get jobs; but the working conditions during the time were very poor. Employees worked long hard hours in harsh environments and received little pay, which caused many people to live in poverty. This poverty issue formulated the theory of Social Darwinism. Many people used this theory to justify the distinction between the rich and the poor. Social Darwinism also allowed businessmen to have merit because it allowed them to expand and earn money.

Social Darwinism is a quasi-philosophical, quasi-religious, 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:

Social Darwinism stems from a misapplication of Darwin 's theory of evolution. In 1859 Charles Darwin published On The Origin of Species, which describes the mechanism for changes in the traits of a population over time. This mechanism, called natural selection, favors the survival, and hence the reproduction, of those

Furthermore, the denizens of society are tied to the rules of Social Darwinism, as they are subject to the same fashion of natural selection as animals in the wild. Instances demonstrating Social Darwinism, the notion that humans are subject to the same fashion of natural selection as animals in the wild while living in society

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 Darwin's 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

Darwinism is a theory of evolution developed by Charles Darwin also called Darwinian Theory. Darwin utilizes Thomas Malthus’ principle of exponential population growth to debate the possibility of infinite growth of population sizes which is tested by the limitations of geography and natural resources that makes it impossible for an infinite number of beings to survive. The limitation in resources results in species experience a “struggle for existence,” creating a survival competition. In this theory, Darwin stated that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual 's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859 which argued that species evolved to get better all the time. Some people used his theory to argue that members of the elite or height of the social ladder were superior to the working class and impoverished due Darwin 's "survival of the fittest", which is considered Social Darwinism. In one of the earliest examples of science fiction, The Time Machine, H.G. Wells’ introduces Social Darwinism along with the theory of evolution.

Darwin and Evolution are inextricably linked in the minds of most people who have had the opportunity to study them in basic biology. However, Darwin's theories of selection and survival of the fittest have been applied to moral, economic, political, and other cultural aspects of society. Dennett briefly touched on some of the political and social ramifications of Darwin's theories in the final chapter of Darwin's Dangerous Idea. Other philosophers and thinkers have also adapted Darwin's evolutionary ideas, in order to apply them in a societal or cultural context. One great example of this adaptation of the biological concept of evolution, is the appearance of Social Darwinism during the 19th century.