A thorough interpretation of Social Darwinism and an exploration of how its core concept, "survival of the fittest" was applied to human society, and its historical influence and controversy in derivative ideas such as eugenics and racism. Understanding the core viewpoints, historical origins and global communication of this theory of social evolution will help you understand the philosophical basis of different political ideologies.

Social Darwinism, also known as Social Evolutionism , refers to a series of social theories that apply the ideas of natural selection and Survival of the Fittest in Darwin's evolution to human society. Social Darwinists usually advocate the competitive principle of "the strong prey on the weak" , believing that the strong dominate the weak is a natural law. This idea was first seen in the theory of socio-cultural evolution proposed by the British philosopher and writer Herbert Spencer .

The conceptual definition and core proposition of social Darwinism

The core concept of social Darwinism believes that Darwinism, especially its core concept - natural elimination caused by competition for survival , is also a common phenomenon in human society. It advocates the use of Darwin's perspectives of survival competition and natural selection to explain the relationship between social development laws and human beings. Therefore, only the winner who adapts to the current environment can survive, and those who do not adapt can only suffer the fate of destruction.

Herbert Spencer believes that the coordination between society and the surrounding environment is regulated by the principle of energy balance and is reflected in the mutual adaptation and struggle between society and the environment. Human society can only progress in this adaptation and struggle. Therefore, survival competition constitutes the basic motivation for social evolution.

In practical applications, social Darwinism has been used to support laissez-faire capitalism and political conservatism. Its argument is that there are so-called "natural" inequality among individuals. Social Darwinists believe that property is somewhat considered related to some superior inner moral qualities, such as hard work and frugality. State intervention is therefore considered to interfere with natural processes, while unlimited competition and maintenance of the status quo are in line with biological selection processes. Poor people are often considered "unadapted to the environment" and should not be assisted.

It should be clear that the term "social Darwinism" first appeared in the 1944 book "Social Darwinism in American Thought". Therefore, it is inaccurate to refer to the related trends before 1944 by "social Darwinism", but this usage has been widely adopted by the historical community. Social Darwinism itself is not a specific political tendency. It is regarded as a social schema, which some supporters use to illustrate the inevitable social progress, while others believe that human degeneration is inevitable.

The Origin of the Theory and the Theory Foundation of Herbert Spencer

Before Darwin, theories of social and cultural evolution prevailed in the European intellectual community. Thinkers of the Enlightenment Age, such as Hegel, believed that the progress of human society had gone through different stages of development. Early thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, in his 17th-century book, "State of Nature", also proposed competition for natural resources.

The difference between social Darwinism and other theories of social change is that it applies Darwin's theory of biological evolution to social research. However, social Darwinism is different from Darwin's own works. Although Darwin emphasized that nature's impact on human development is higher than that of supernatural, and believed that humans are bound by biological laws, he also believed that "social instincts" (such as "mercy" and "moral emotions") also evolved through natural selection, and these evolutionary results can enhance the society they are in. Therefore, Darwin does believe that social phenomena are also shaped by natural selection.

Spencer's Evolutionary Progressiveism

The main thinkers of social Darwinism include Herbert Spencer , Thomas Malthus and Francis Galton.

Spencer's idea of "evolutionary progressiveism" actually predated Darwin. His important work, Progress: Laws and Causes, was published two years earlier than Darwin's Origin of Species. Spencer believes that individuals, not collectives, are the basic units of evolution, and evolution produced by natural selection is not only reflected in biology, but also in the social field. Social evolution refers to the changes in the internal functions and structure of social organisms in the process of adapting to the external environment.

Compared with Darwin's probabilism focusing on populations, Spencer's theory adopts determinism and progressive teleology. Spencer introduced the concept of social progress —that is, the new social form after evolution is always better than before.

The origins of Malthus and competitive thoughts

Spencer's writings continue the theme of Malthus. In the "Principles of Demography" published in 1798, Malthus believed that the growing population would sooner or later lead to a shortage of food supply, and the weakest would starve to death. Social Darwinists view Malthus as a pioneer, believing that philanthropy will only worsen social problems.

A simplified view of social Darwinism is that people must compete to survive in the future. Most social Darwinists in the early 20th century supported improvements in labor conditions and increased wages, but aimed at giving the poor the opportunity to support themselves, so that those who could be self-sufficient were better than those who were poor due to laziness, weakness or inferiority.

Derivative thoughts and complex relationships

Social Darwinism was used by its advocates to justify authoritarianism, eugenics, racism, imperialism, and fascism. The derivation and application of these theories reflect the complexity and controversy of this trend.

Eugenics and Genetic Determinism

Another social interpretation of Darwin's biology perspective is eugenics . The theory was developed by Darwin's cousin Francis Galton .

Galton believes that human physiological characteristics are obviously passed down from generation to generation, so the same is true of human brain qualities (genius and talent). He proposed that society should have a sober decision about genetics, namely: to avoid excessive reproduction of "discomfort" people and insufficient reproduction of "adaptive" people. He is worried that institutions such as Social Welfare and asylums allow "inferior" people to survive and allow their growth to exceed the "excellent" people in society. If not corrected, society will be filled with "inferior" people.

However, both Darwin and Galton themselves are politically opposed to any form of government mandatory eugenics policy.

In Germany, social Darwinism was widely circulated in the late 19th century through Ernst Haeckel's writings. He constructed a hodgepodge of natural phenomena and mysticism, which gave birth to the "Unitarian Alliance" which advocated eugenic reforms and eventually became one of the sources of Hitler's National Socialist Nazi Party.

Racism and aggressive theory

Racial superiority and competitive ideas in the late 19th and early 20th century were closely related to social Darwinism. Social Darwinism has been used to philosophically defend imperialism, colonialism, and racism, especially to support the cultural and biological superiority of the Anglo-Saxon or Aryans.

Based on the theory of gene bifurcation and natural selection, it was popular at the time that the Germans in Nordic Europe were superior races because they evolved in cold climates and were forced to develop advanced survival skills, which in today's era was manifested as a passion for expansion and adventure. Caucasians are regarded as the greatest race because they have a sense of superiority and desire to conquer.

Based on social Darwinism, a race believes that a race must be aggressive in order to survive. Whites had conquered barbarians in some places and simply exterminated them in others, which was seen by some as consistent with the view of "survival of the fittest". These ideas were supported by many anthropologists and psychologists, including the famous biologist Thomas Huxley, at that time.

Thought circulation and global influence

Although social Darwinian thought occupies an important position in the history of social and political thought, it is no longer fashionable today, and few people call themselves "social Darwinians".

The impact of Europe

Social Darwinism was widely circulated in some social circles in Europe, especially among German intellectuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The philosopher Nietzsche created the concept of "superman" .

In international politics, competition among empires has fueled militarization and the division of colonial spheres of influence on the world. The interpretation of social Darwinism at that time focused more on competition among species rather than cooperation. Social Darwinism may have important implications for the territorial expansion and genocide policies of Nazi Germany , which emerged after World War I.

Development in the United States

Spencer's thoughts were incredibly popular in the Gilded Age of the 1870s. American scholars such as William Sumner and John Burgess further developed social Darwinism under the influence of Spencer and Darwin. Sumner once explained the survival struggle between humans and nature and between people in his paper. Writer Jack London also expressed his understanding of the idea through his novel.

However, most American business giants refuse to accept the anti-fraud claims implicit in social Darwinist theory. Modern American capital giants such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie are often philanthropists at the same time. Although Carnegie admired Spencer, he was also the most famous philanthropist in the world at that time and opposed imperialism and war.

Criticism and controversy analysis

Social Darwinism has historically inspired many genocide makers, such as the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust, which has brought it to widespread criticism and controversy.

The Liberal/Left in Western society criticizes the Conservative for using social Darwinism to defend laissez-faire capitalism, social inequality, racism and imperialism. Criticism of it has also been extended to other similar political or scientific theories, such as Evolutionary Psychology. Many people simply use social Darwinism to oppose any form of Universal Morality and Altruism.

The complexity of political stance

The controversial point of social Darwinism lies in the complexity of its political stance. It does not necessarily produce a specific political stance in itself. Although it is often compared to laissez-faire capitalism, some extreme social Darwinists from the 20th century instead demanded a strong government to actively intervene in the economy and society in order to eliminate inferior people. They do not believe that the market can play this role in elimination.

Ludwig von Mises, a famous economist who advocates "lazy faith" argues in his book "Human Behavior" that social Darwinism is inconsistent with the principles of liberalism.

The key to social Darwinism is to argue that the "survival of the fittest" in the social sense is a natural process, and correction through charity is anti-natural and inefficient . Therefore, success or failure is attributed to natural traits. In fact, social Darwinism is a gathering of related social theories, just as existentialism is a general term for some closely linked philosophical thoughts, rather than a separate philosophy.

Conclusion: Go beyond competition and explore your political spectrum (Political Spectrum)

Social Darwinism, as a highly controversial social theory, profoundly reveals the cruel history and complex thinking about competition , advantages and disadvantages and resource allocation in human society. Although it is no longer popular as a recognized ideology, the discussion it derived about the application of "survival of the fittest" in human society is still affecting the underlying logic of liberalism , conservatism and even various extreme political ideas.

If you are interested in how these complex social theories evolved into modern political ideologies and want to have a deeper understanding of the detailed connotations of ideologies such as Fascism and Authoritarianism that have been associated with the "social Darwinian" thought, we strongly recommend that you visit the website's results ideological page, where the philosophical basis of various political tendencies is elaborated in detail.

At the same time, one of the best ways to understand these historical social theories is to compare and weigh them with your own political values . How are your values constructed in multiple dimensions such as social , economic and cultural ?

Invite you to experience the 8values political values tendency test immediately, through scientific evaluation, clearly position your position in the political spectrum, and deeply explore the similarities and differences of your philosophy and the competitive principles advocated by social Darwinism.

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The conceptual definition and core proposition of social Darwinism