Social Darwinism

Social Darwinism is a body of pseudoscientific theories and societal practices that purport to apply biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology, economics and politics.[1][2] Social Darwinists believe that the strong should see their wealth and power increase, while the weak should see their wealth and power decrease. Social Darwinist definitions of the strong and the weak vary, and differ on the precise mechanisms that reward strength and punish weakness. Many such views stress competition between individuals in laissez-faire capitalism, while others, emphasizing struggle between national or racial groups, support eugenics, racism, imperialism and/or fascism.[3][4][5] Today, scientists generally consider social Darwinism to be discredited as a theoretical framework, but it persists within popular culture.[6][7]

Scholars debate the extent to which the various social Darwinist ideologies reflect Charles Darwin's own views on human social and economic issues. References to social Darwinism since have usually been pejorative.[8][9][10] Some groups, including creationists such as William Jennings Bryan, argued social Darwinism is a logical consequence of Darwinism.[9] Academics such as Steven Pinker have argued this is a fallacy of appeal to nature.[11] While most scholars recognize historical links between the popularisation of Darwin's theory and forms of social Darwinism, they generally maintain that social Darwinism is not a necessary consequence of the principles of biological evolution.[12]

Social Darwinism declined in popularity following World War I, and its purportedly scientific claims were largely discredited by the end of World War II—partially due to its association with Nazism and due to a growing scientific consensus that eugenics and scientific racism were unfounded.[3][13][8]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Riggenbach was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Williams, Raymond (2000). "Social Darwinism". In John Offer (ed.). Herbert Spencer: Critical Assessment. London; New York: Routledge. pp. 186–199. ISBN 9780415181846.
  3. ^ a b Claeys, Gregory (2000). "The "Survival of the Fittest" and the Origins of Social Darwinism". Journal of the History of Ideas. 61 (2): 223–240. doi:10.1353/jhi.2000.0014. S2CID 146267804.
  4. ^ Bowler 2003, pp. 298–299
  5. ^ Leonard, Thomas C. (2009) "Origins of the Myth of Social Darwinism: The Ambiguous Legacy of Richard Hofstadter's Social Darwinism in American Thought", Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 71, pp. 37–51.
  6. ^ Rohatynskyj, Marta (5 September 2018). "Social Darwinism". The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology.
  7. ^ "Social Darwinism". APA Dictionary of Psychology. 19 April 2018.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Encarta was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Paul 220 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Hodgson 2004, pp. 428–430
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference pinker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Dennis, Rutledge M. (1995). "Social Darwinism, Scientific Racism, and the Metaphysics of Race". TJNE. 64 (3): 243–252. doi:10.2307/2967206. JSTOR 2967206.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference History was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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