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Negative Effects Of Social Darwinism

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What is Darwinism? To understand the impact of this matter you must first know what it is and who Darwin was. Darwinism is “the theory of the evolution of species by natural selection advanced by Charles Darwin”, according to the Oxford University Press. Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who made major contributions to the theory of evolution. Charles Darwin’s writings were very significant in the scientific world, for a more specific example, his writing of the Origin of Species. The Origin of Species sparked huge national interest and the book’s first copies sold out quicker than they appeared. Although many saw this work as a step towards improvement in understanding of evolution, it also brought with it much opposition. Darwin’s …show more content…
Bannister, a professor of history at Swarthmore College, “The term social Darwinist is applied loosely to anyone who interprets human society primarily in terms of biology, struggle, competition, or natural law (a philosophy based on what are considered the permanent characteristics of human nature). Social Darwinism characterizes a variety of past and present social policies and theories, from attempts to reduce the power of government to theories exploring the biological causes of human behavior. Many people believe that the concept of social Darwinism explains the philosophical rationalization behind racism, imperialism, and capitalism. The term has negative implications for most people because they consider it a rejection of compassion and social responsibility” (Bannister,2000).
The next major issue was Eugenics. “Eugenics is the study of the agencies under social control that may improve or impair the racial qualities of future generations either physically or mentally” (Galton,1904). Eugenics which means well-born was introduced by Sir Francis Galton who just so happened to be the cousin of previously stated, Charles Darwin and the father of modern statistics. He developed the idea that there was a way to improve the human species. After the turn of the century, eugenics became a household topic and existed everywhere in the

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