FREE ESSAY ON SOCIAL DARWINISM

SOCIAL DARWINISM

In the late 19th Century a term called Social Darwinism was established to describe the
idea that humans, like plants and animals, compete in a struggle for existence. Social
Darwinists base their beliefs on theories of evolution developed by British scientist and
naturalist Charles Darwin. Darwin also created The Survival of the Fittest, meaning that
the strong will survive and the weak will perish. Some social darwinists deny that they
approve of the theory that the strongest will survive, but many of their arguments
justify imbalances of power because they consider some people more fit to survive than
others.
Social Darwinism is a variety of social policies and theories from reducing the power of
government to exploring the biological causes of human behavior. Many social darwinists
opposed government aid to the poor, laws against child labor, and free public education.
Many darwinists did not want government to restrict competition in any way. They believed
in the policy called laissez-faire, which means that the government should leave business
alone.
Darwin believed that human society is constantly changing. He also believed that
competition between humans is normal and natural, which produces a better society and a
better human being.
There were many problems with the laissez-faire theory. Without some government control,
businesses would have the freedom to exploit natural resources, use cutthroat
competition, cheat customers and abuse labor. Social Darwinism accounts for the
difference between the rich and the poor. It is said to be a Welfare for the Rich,
meaning that it helps the rich get richer and the poor stay poor.
I think that Social Darwinism is wrong because not everyone has the ability to be the
fittest. There are people prone to diseases such as cancer, Parkinson disease, multiple
sorceress, etc., and no matter how hard someone tries, there are people that just cannot
get ahead in life. Not everyone can be a business owner because social darwinists want
the business to be able to do whatever they want, without the government getting
involved. Businesses can make a huge profit by paying the workers a minimal amount, which
causes the weak to get weaker and widespread poverty. In my opinion, I think this theory
is morally wrong.
Social Darwinism was very popular at the beginning of the 20th Century. It quickly lost
popularity after World War I. During the 1920's and 1930's, many observers blamed it for
contributing to German militarism and the rise of Nazism. Anthropologists began shifting
away from biology and on to culture that questioned Darwin's theories. Today, many
critics believe that Social Darwinism justifies poverty and warfare. This criticism has
led to a decline in the influence of Social Darwinism.