Comparing The Gospel Of Wealth And Social Darwinism

William Graham Sumner mentions in his book What Social Classes Owe to Each Other (1883) a way to compare the with evolution. Sumner did not see economic inequality in society as a problem. Rather he saw it as the solution itself. Sumner uses the term Darwinism as a contrast to economic inequality in the Guided Age. Social Darwinism, like Darwinism argues in favor of natural selection according to the class that a person is on. Stating that the wealthy were this way as a result of them being the best at what they did and arguably they knew how to “play the game”. Therefore, the people who were in the working class or not exceedingly rich were not satisfactory enough to be so. Inequality on society, according to Sumner’s Social Darwinism is needed for not only society to prosper but also humanity. This way only the wealthiest smartest people survive and the poor do not. This

In the Gospel of Wealth Carnegie discussed how wealthy men help the poor and working class with charity. Since the wealthy get to choose where the money goes to it helps the poor more than it would by being given to them. The money went to programs and services the poor needed rather than being given to the poor that would spend it on unneeded resources. The superior education and understanding of the industrialists and wealthy helped the poor and working class more because with charity they could choose what programs would get the funding needed to help the poor.

During this period, many Americans, and particularly industrialists and the emerging middle class, came to embrace the doctrine of laissez faire. The poor were so because they lacked ability and determination. The rich were comfortable because of their superior talents and thrift, argued supporters of a new ideology which turned Charles Darwin's theory of evolution into a new vision of society's "survival of the fittest."

Social Darwinism was a slight distortion of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, which stated that species change over time because those with heritable traits that help survival are the one’s that reproduce. “Social Darwinists,” like Sumner, applied Darwin’s theory onto the human race, and then used it to justify his views in his article. He claimed that those in society who are powerful are innately better than those who are not, and their superiority is proof of this (Class notes

Social Darwinism is a theory that individuals, peoples, and groups are subject to darwinian laws of natural selection. Another way to describe social darwinism is survival of the fittest. The strongest and the smartest will survive. It is now largely discredited, it was advocated in the late 19th and early 20th century by Herbert Spencer and others. It was used to justify political conservation, imperialism, to discourage intervention and reform and racism. This theory was used to support the laissez faire capitalism and political conservatism.

Social Darwinism is based off of Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. He uses the concept of survival of the fittest. This was used to justify class distinctions and to explain the reason for poverty. Modern science declared that the failure to advance in society was due to the lack of self reliance and determination. They acted down on people who needed government aid. Even during the depression people still believed the notion that the poor were responsible for their fate. The idea of natural superiority was around since the Civil War. So much so, we thought it was okay to own human beings.

A huge difference between Darwinian and social gospel would be their idea of someone’s value and how someone was seen in a community. Darwinism looked at wealth, social status and property in order to indicate someone’s superiority. They needed to know how much money

Between the era circa 600 BCE to 1500 CE trading systems expanded with the introduction of new trade routes, some of which being the Silk Road that connected Europe and Asia, the Mediterranean sea trade routes connecting the Mediterranean basin, and the Indian ocean trade connecting India with east Africa. The emergence of these new trade routes led to the rapid accumulation of wealth by the merchants who traded. Religious responses contrasted with state responses to wealth accumulation in Eurasia during roughly 600 BCE to 1500 CE in the sense that religious responses resulted in both punishment and the absence of blessings in an individual. Whereas state responses resulted in taxation, inspection of sales reports and weights and measures,

Also, social darwinism goes against the Declaration of Independence because the declaration states, “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator .” The Declaration states all men are made equal by God and then social darwinism states that people are poor or rich based on if God likes them. Mainly people of color weren’t as wealthy because they didn’t have the same opportunity as whites. The wealthy agreed with social darwinism because it continued to put then in

Dear editor, Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth can have some valid points about things. One quote Carnegie stated is “In bestowing charity, the main consideration should be to help those who will become themselves” (61-62). He is explaining how if people were to help themselves, then that’s the biggest charity there is because you won’t end up becoming or remaining poor. This in my opinion is true since you have to work hard in life to succeed and it doesn’t come easy. A second point Carnegie made was “we accept and welcome… as conditions to which we must accommodate ourselves” (5-6). He is saying how we as people accept conditions to which we have to work hard for and maintain it and work with other people with that same mindset. I agree because

Many of Americans and immigrants migrated to the cites to get jobs; but the working conditions during the time were very poor. Employees worked long hard hours in harsh environments and received little pay, which caused many people to live in poverty. This poverty issue formulated the theory of Social Darwinism. Many people used this theory to justify the distinction between the rich and the poor. Social Darwinism also allowed businessmen to have merit because it allowed them to expand and earn money.

The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie was written in 1889. In Carnegie’s article, he initially discusses how wealth plays a role in the ties of the rich and the poor. He says that they live in a world where money was either passed down from father to son or given to the state. Carnegie’s ideas at the time were considered new. In his point of view, wealth can be put into better use by society than the state. He further expresses his idea that the rich should undertake in the concern for human welfare and advancement. Carnegie also emphasizes his contempt for the idea of spending capital with lack of responsibility. The wealthy should distribute their wealth that doesn’t encourage anything similar to sloth or drunkenness.

Social Darwinism is a quasi-philosophical, quasi-religious, quasi-sociological view that came from the mind of Herbert Spencer, an English philosopher in the 19th century. It did not achieve wide acceptance in England or Europe, but flourished in this country, as is true of many ideologies, religions, and philosophies. A good summary of Social Darwinism is by Johnson:

In a free nation, every individual has a right to their way of thinking as can be demonstrated by the differing views individuals have taken in regards to two particular theories: Social Darwinism and Social Gospel, and their arguments as to which theory best strengthens the nation. As with most topics, different views are presented, but it is up to the individual to study opposing views and determine what theology they support. They can then share those views and choose to oppose differing views. Your Score ___ of 20 Merriam-Webster encyclopedia defines Social Darwinism as: an extension of Darwinism to social phenomena; specifically: a sociological theory that sociocultural advance is the product of intergroup conflict and competition

This picture depicts the idea behind social Darwinism. IT is a powerful society in which keeps the wealthy, and powerful and kicks out the minority, poor folks who are no longer able to survive in such a materialistic world.