The Many Faces Of Social Darwinism - 1496 Words

Kimberly Hollman HIS356K March 3, 2016 The Many Faces of Social Darwinism Hollman 1 of 5 The second half of the 19th century was a time of great flux in the United States. The impact of the Civil War perturbed all spheres of American domestic life, leaving its citizens in a state of anxiety regarding their beliefs, government, and even their fellow man. These changes happened concurrently with advances in the sciences: on the eve of the Civil War, Charles Darwin published his influential On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. Darwin’s theory of evolution via natural selection was met with widespread acclaim and recognition, but was thereafter reappropriated to explain the dynamic and sometimes struggling socioeconomic condition of the United States. Endless interpretations of Social Darwinism crept into the collective consciousness as a philosophy backed by scientific evidence, affecting all spheres of life. Darwinism, and the progressive movement pushback, forced Amer ica to define and defend its beliefs regarding interpersonal dynamics on all levels, resulting in most Americans adopting a ‘pick and choose’ mentality towards the philosophy. Social theorist Herbert Spencer, a contemporary to Darwin, was one of the most vocal proponents of Social Darwinism. Coining the term â€Å"Survival of the Fittest†, he proposed that there existed a natural order to society, where the strong- be it on anShow MoreRelated â€Å"White Man’s Burden† Essay905 Words   |  4 PagesEuro-centrism and social Darwinism. Four centuries before 1899, such ideas were briefly hinted in the letter from Christopher Columbus to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, however by 1899 these attitudes strengthened and developed fully into their complete meaning. The U.S and Europe’s imperialism in the nineteenth century were the most influential ever in the history of human civilization. The immense motive for imperialism came from social factors including religion and Social Darwinism. MissionariesRead MoreSocial Darwinism Is An Ideology Of Society1566 Words   |  7 PagesSocial Darwinism is an ideology of society that seeks to apply biological concepts of the laws of evolution by natural selection of evolutionary theory to sociology and politics, often with the assumption that conflict between groups in society leads to social progress as superior groups outcompete inferior ones. How we got to the point of coining the modern term of â€Å"Social Darwinism† we would have to turn to the famous man himself, Charles Darwin. At first glance, Charles Darwin seems an unlikelyRead MoreThe Theory Of Progressive Evolution1726 Words   |  7 Pagesin particular earlier Christian apologetics focusing on the complexity of nature as evidence for God such as that of William Paley s analogy of the supposedly irreducible complexity of nature. Micheal Shermer similarly outlined the emphasis Neo-Darwinism placed on constant reiteration of the importance of Darwin s â€Å"idea†, defined as a singular, revolutionary entity within the history of science that was first exclusively formed in 1837 and confirmed by others8 in the progressive vein of Thomas SRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1538 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice and Men explores many different and complex theories, all while telling a simple story of two men and one dream. George is practical, cautious, and small, but sharp and socially able. His companion is one of very different statures: looming and strong, possibly too much fo r his own good, and has the ability to kill but possesses the mind of a child, and blessed but cursed with a mental illness that detaches him from society. The pair on the run from one job to the next haveRead MoreAmerica s War On Drugs1306 Words   |  6 PagesBeginning in the nineteenth century, spanning to the present day, US history has witnessed a plethora of changes both socially as well as racially. These racial and social changes were the results of moral panics centered around marijuana as well as eugenics. One of the primary focuses of America s War on Drugs has always been the controversial drug Marijuana. In the early twentieth century, Henry Anslinger became the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics where he remained betweenRead More Penicillin Essay524 Words   |  3 Pagesof fungi. His crude extracts could be diluted 1,000 times and still be effective in killing bacteria. After years of working on penicillin and going nowhere, many of his co-workers grew tired of hearing about it. The first real test for penicillin came when a 48-year-old police officer nicked himself shaving. After a time, Alexanders face became infected and he developed a temperature. When he was rushed to the hospital, the doctors believed that he had only hours to live. Then Dr Fleming and hisRead MoreEssay On British Imperialism1198 Words   |  5 Pagesshackles of racism remained. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Social Darwinism became a popular ideology used to justi fy imperialism. Built upon Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, Social Darwinists applied natural selection to the human race, arguing human society was a struggle for existence where only the fittest would survive. Used as racial and class justification, Social Darwinism became the foundation of Britain s new imperialism. Colonization was no longer justifiedRead MorePaper 2 - the Rise of Fundamentalism1726 Words   |  7 Pages---------------------------------------------------2 THE RISE OF FUNDAMENTALISM -------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CHRISTIAN REACTION TO DARWINISM AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC THEORIES— THE RISE OF HIGHER CRITICISM OF THE BIBLE-------------------------------------------------- THE SOCIAL GOSPEL--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE FUNDAMENTALS------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read MoreMacbeth Character Analysis999 Words   |  4 Pagessmiling, Showd like a rebels whore† (Shakespeare 1.2. 16-20). The captain refers to Macbeth escaping his death, but implies that fate will seize him in the end. The concept of fate being inescapable is presented in Macbeth just as it is presented in many naturalist texts. One naturalist who captures this concept comprehensively is Frank Norris. In Norris’ tragic novel McTeague, those who defy fate are met with chaos and destruction while those who accept their fate can avoid fate’s wrath. From theRead MoreStructural Or Institutional Racism Is Formed By The Social, Economic, Political Or Educational Forces Essay1063 Words   |  5 Pagesracism is formed by the social, economic, political or educational forces that foster discriminatory outcomes or give preference to members of one group over the other deriving its genesis from the concept of race. The biological fact for the race has been invalidated by biologists, but the social aspect of it is formed by the community. The physical traits still possess the meanings of social race identity. It is these social race identities that deliberate placement in the social hierarchy, which dictates