Herbert Spencer And Imperialism

Charles Darwin developed a theory of biological evolution that stated all species evolved from other species through natural selection. Herbert Spencer followed up with this theory by coining the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’ as a way to describe natural selection. This theory grew among scientist, but the Fundamentalist Christians opposed Darwinism because it goes against their core beliefs. Some used it as a way to justify classifying some people as second-rate and how they treated those people. Darwinism also played a major role in America’s immigration policy and furthermore is one of the main reason for the start of World War I.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) was a British naturalist who became famous for his theories in evolution. He believed all species evolved form a common ancestor and that evolution happened through a process called natural selection, which meant survival of the fittest. In the BNW, the different castes of people were made from a common ancestor (a single individual). Thus, creating hundreds of his or her clones. Since the directors believed in survival of the fittest, they made the best kind of people so that they may live long in a specific environment.

Herbert Spencer was the most important Social Darwinist of the 19th Century. He was the first to begin thinking about evolutionist long before Darwin came out with his book on the "Origins of Species". He had many theories such as that everything evolves from one basic creature and then breaks off into more diverse species (Haberman (Hab.), 171). His theory was that social, political, and intellectual movements were caused by the development from the homogeneous to the heterogeneous. Spencer once stated, "If the advance of man towards greater heterogeneity is traceable to the production of many effects by one cause, still more clearly may the advance of society towards greater heterogeneity be

This quote really speaks volumes to the problem of the poor and how they got left out of the productive society that they were living in. Many of the poor of the fifties were living in dirty, unhealthy, overcrowded cities because they did not have money to buy a home in the suburbs. “Any affluent society, that is both compassionate and rational, would no doubt, secure to all who needed it the minimum income essential for decency and comfort” (Document A). The realization to this quote though is that the society of the 1950s was not providing any outreach of any kind to these people. People of the fifties identified the poor as nonexistent, invisible, almost as if their existence does not matter. To see these people took “an effort of the intellect and will” (Document I). People did not see them because they did not want to or because they were ignorant to amount of poverty that was living in their society. People did not want to see it because they were either in love with their lives and how well they were going or appearing. They were living the “American Dream” and were being exactly like everyone else in order to escape the fear that they might be different, that they might be somebody that is not the stereotypical person or family, or that they might be a communist. The fear of being identified as different or possibly being a part of the communist party is what kept people cautious and close-lipped

We get a glimpse of the Social Darwinism perspective “survival of the fittest” and only the strong will continue. We have been taught Democratic Egalitarianism and Individualism argue equality and privileges should be demonstrated and given to all citizens, this would be the ideal situation, unfortunately the poor was simply lazy and the master of their fate. Interestingly morality came into view never looking at the devices engaged to inhibit access to a free membership of the American life as the culprit. More over the article mentioned being poor is to be considered a religious factor by many. Those that were poverty stricken was stigmatized as beliefs dictated by Puritans and numerous religious communists an individual out of God’s favor was doom to suffer; poverty aided as a symbol of this social ill. Various subscriptions given however, with many prerequisites; such as acquiring skills or obtaining a job whose initial pay was favorable would serve as a cure all; certainly one could say, there is a degree of legitimacy as in some cases what was aforementioned has worked, but quite often is not the end result. If the success story yielded a higher rate one possibly will walk away with a greater

Social Darwinism is a popular social evolution theory in 19 century propounded by Herbert Spencer. It refers to notions of struggle for existence being used to justify social policies, which show no sympathy for those unable to support them. Rationalized by the notion that colonized nations, poor people, or disadvantaged minorities must have deserved their situations because they were “less fit” than those who were better off.

The 19th century was one of the most revolutionized eras in the history of the world. It is in this time period that the power shift was on a constant stir; empires falling, empires rising, and important discoveries that would change the world forever. Many Significant theories and belief systems were established, as well as the rise of some of the potent people in history. One person that is remembered for his work and celebrated for his theories is English biologist and scientist Charles Darwin. He is the sole theorists who conjured up the idea of human evolution, commonly known today as “Darwinism”. In effort to ensure this is recognized this paper continues on into the life of Charles Darwin, his story, his achievements,

America should not have been the policemen of the Western Hemisphere during the early 1900s. During the 1900s imperialism was a big factor. Imperialism is a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force. During this time America was trying to be the policemen and it created a lot of downfalls.

History and literature have developed in a parallel manner, as organisms often co-evolve with each other. With the publication of Darwin’s groundbreaking work, the Origin of Species, a new group of people, the Social Darwinists, applied the theory of natural selection to social hierarchy. A most notable Social Darwinist, Herbert Spencer, coined the term “survival of the fittest”, implying that people in higher social groups were more “fit” to survive than those who were in lower social groups (Bannister, “Social Darwinism”). This idea of social evolution contributed to the dehumanization of people. More social theorists, scientists, and

Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection, a scientific theory that supported the belief of evolution, was manipulated and applied to different areas of life, and thus it became the shaping force in European thought in the last half of the nineteenth century. Darwin, through observation of organisms, determined that a system of natural selection controlled the evolution of species. He found that the organisms that were most fit and assimilated to the environment would survive. They would also reproduce so that over time they would eventually dominate in numbers over the organisms with weaker characteristics. This new theory was radical and interesting to the scientific world but its effects reach far beyond this small institution of

They also shared the belief that people had an individual duty to better themselves and those people that did not progress in society did not deserve help or guidance from those that were able to do so on their own. Sumner describes a person that is unable to progress individually as, “a man who is present as a consumer, yet who does not contribute either by land, labor, or capital to the work of society” and he believed that, “on no sound political theory ought such a person to share in the political power of the state. (518)” Spencer shared in this view, he stated that individuals that were wealthy and in control of business were more ‘perfect’ than those that were poor and had not tried to progress to their highest potential. He thought that the wealthy should not help the poor and that through this process a social Darwinism would occur weeding out the weak. Although some capitalists agreed with these men’s thoughts, not all did, including Andrew Carnegie.

Herbert Spencer was born on the 27th of April in 1820 in England to a family of Englishmen who were classified as social inferiors by the church of England. He was the only surviving child out of his eight other siblings. His father was a teacher in a school and his mother was not considered to be anything close to an intellectual person. As surprising as it may seem, he was not regular to school and he was home schooled most of his life by his parents. Because of his family background, he was not allowed to pursue his education at Oxford or Cambridge. But he was well proficient with mathematics and life sciences by the age of 16.

The first advocate of the social Darwinism theory had a major impact on the American society as a whole, starting from economic bases, to the big business minds of the time. In the United States, Spencer gained considerable support among intellectuals and some businessmen, including steel manufacturer Andrew Carnegie, who served as Spencer’s host during his visit to the United States in 1883. The most prominent American social Darwinist of the 1880s was William Graham Sumner, who on several occasions told audiences that there was no alternative to the “survival of the fittest” theory. Critics of social Darwinism seized on these comments to argue that Sumner advocated a “dog-eat-dog” philosophy of human behavior that justified oppressive social policies. Some later historians have argued that Sumner’s critics took his statements out of context and misrepresented his views.

Social Darwinism was a sociological theory that merged Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection and the work of Herbert Spencer, Malthus, and other scientific and sociological theorists to justify imperialism, racism, and conservative economic policies. The overall acceptance of the power of nature in defining human beings developed during the 18th century Enlightenment. Europe’s exploration not only brought about immense economic and agricultural growth, but also exposed them to “human behavior and life patterns within environments and under circumstances dramatically different than their own” (4). The most popular catch phrases of Darwinism, “struggle for existence” and “survival of the fittest”, when applied to the life of man in society, suggested that nature would provide that the best competitors in a competitive situation would win, and that this process would lead to continuing improvement” (6. Hoft). This misinterpreted sense of superiority engulfed much of society at the time and was used to justify the logistics behind certain actions regarding capitalism, racism, and imperialism. Furthermore, it served as the backbone of some of the most heinous acts imaginable including the genocide and sterilization of certain groups of people.

     The words “survival of the fittest” should be credited to Spencer, who was an important