What does Social Darwinism suggest about the poor?
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Social Darwinism is a term scholars use to describe the practice of misapplying the biological evolutionary language of Charles Darwin to politics, the economy, and society. This belief that white, wealthy, Anglo-Saxon Americans were biologically superior to other groups fueled many social and political trends of the Gilded Age. Show Many Social Darwinists embraced laissez-faire capitalism and racism. They believed that government should not help the poor because aid interfered in the “survival of the fittest.” The ideas of Social Darwinism pervaded many aspects of American society, including policies related to immigration, imperialism, and public health. Social Darwinism Social Darwinists believed that some people were successful because they were biologically and socially the “naturally” fittest, while the poor were “naturally” weak and it was unwise to allow them to breed. These “Darwinists” were corrupting Charles Darwin’s language for their own social, economic, and political explanations. Social Darwinism, poverty, and eugenics Many sociologists and political theorists used Social Darwinism to argue against government programs to aid the poor, for they believed that poverty was the result of natural inferiority, which should be bred out of the human population. These ideas inspired a movement called eugenics, which promoted sterilization of individuals it saw as “unfit.” Eugenic sterilizations disproportionately targeted women, minorities, and immigrants. Social Darwinism, immigration, and imperialism As a massive number of immigrants came to the United States, many whites believed that these new immigrants were racially inferior. Social Darwinism was also used as a justification for American imperialism in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines following the Spanish-American War, as imperialists argued that it was the duty of white Americans to bring civilization to "backwards" peoples. Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany’s quest for an Aryan “master race” reflected Social Darwinist ideas. Modern biological science has completely discredited the theory of Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism and Poverty The concept of Darwinism is more mundanely known as "survival of the fittest." That means that the animals that are best suited for survival, which is best adapted to the society in which they live will be the ones that survive. Those that do not have skills and abilities which will allow them to live and thrive will die out. Consequently the next generation will be more comprised of far more creatures that have the more appropriate characteristics. Some have suggested that the ideas of Darwin can be transposed from the animal kingdom and applied to human behaviors as well. Social Darwinism states that "society advances where its fittest members are allowed to assert their fitness with the least hindrance, and that the unfit should not be prevented from dying out" (Heeney 1). In order for society to progress and evolve, the adept must be allowed to flourish and the poor and destitute be allowed to flounder until they cease to exist. Thus the reason that people are poor and others are wealthy is not because of personal ambition, but because the poor are less suited to the financial and social environment in which we live. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style Copy CitationShare Share Share to social media Facebook Twitter URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-DarwinismGive Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Your Feedback Submit FeedbackThank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. External Websites
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By The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Edit History Table of ContentsHerbert Spencer See all media Key People:Herbert Spencer Thorstein Veblen...(Show more)Related Topics:sociology social change social evolution...(Show more) See all related content → social Darwinism, the theory that human groups and races are subject to the same laws of natural selection as Charles Darwin perceived in plants and animals in nature. According to the theory, which was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the weak were diminished and their cultures delimited while the strong grew in power and cultural influence over the weak. Social Darwinists held that the life of humans in society was a struggle for existence ruled by “survival of the fittest,” a phrase proposed by the British philosopher and scientist Herbert Spencer. The social Darwinists—notably Spencer and Walter Bagehot in England and William Graham Sumner in the United States—believed that the process of natural selection acting on variations in the population would result in the survival of the best competitors and in continuing improvement in the population. Societies were viewed as organisms that evolve in this manner. More From Britannica philosophy of biology: Evolutionary ethicsThe theory was used to support laissez-faire capitalism and political conservatism. Class stratification was justified on the basis of “natural” inequalities among individuals, for the control of property was said to be a correlate of superior and inherent moral attributes such as industriousness, temperance, and frugality. Attempts to reform society through state intervention or other means would, therefore, interfere with natural processes; unrestricted competition and defense of the status quo were in accord with biological selection. The poor were the “unfit” and should not be aided; in the struggle for existence, wealth was a sign of success. At the societal level, social Darwinism was used as a philosophical rationalization for imperialist, colonialist, and racist policies, sustaining belief in Anglo-Saxon or Aryan cultural and biological superiority. Social Darwinism declined during the 20th century as an expanded knowledge of biological, social, and cultural phenomena undermined, rather than supported, its basic tenets. What did Social Darwinism suggest?Social Darwinists believe in “survival of the fittest”—the idea that certain people become powerful in society because they are innately better. Social Darwinism has been used to justify imperialism, racism, eugenics and social inequality at various times over the past century and a half.
What does Social Darwinism say about wealth and society?The theory held that due to natural selection, the most intelligent, industrious, and productive people would grow wealthy and survive while the uneducated and lazy would remain poor and die off.
What does someone who supports Social Darwinism think should be done with the poor and needy?Supporters of social Darwinism called for the repeal of the poor laws and state-supported human services that facilitated the survival of the unfit, as they believed that all changes must be natural.
How did Social Darwinism affect inequality?With Social Darwinism gaining popularity, inequality gained a strong foothold in the society driven by concepts of eugenics and racism. Around the 1900s, sizable populations around the world believed that the quality of human race should be improved by privileging the best human specimens (including themselves).
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