Social Darwinism

Social Darwinism, also referred to as social Spencerism, is a body of pseudoscientific theories and societal practices that claim to apply biological concepts of evolution and "survival of the fittest" to the social realm, especially in regard to issues involving social class, economics, and politics. Despite erroneously bearing Charles Darwin's name, it is chiefly associated with Herbert Spencer, the main developer and leading exponent of what came to be known as "social Darwinist" ideas, whose theories of evolution were neo-Lamarckian and both predated and contradicted Darwin's. Proponents of social Darwinism believe that the strong should see their wealth and power increase, while the weak should see their wealth and power decrease. Social Darwinist definitions of the strong and the weak vary, and differ on the precise mechanisms that reward strength and punish weakness. Many such views stress competition between individuals in laissez-faire capitalism, while others, emphasizing struggle between national or racial groups, support eugenics, racism, imperialism and/or fascism. Today, scientists generally consider social Darwinism to be discredited as a theoretical framework, but it persists within popular culture. Scholars debate the extent to which the various social Darwinist ideologies reflect Darwin's own views on human social and economic issues. References to social Darwinism since have usually been pejorative. Some groups, including creationists such as William Jennings Bryan, argued social Darwinism is a logical consequence of Darwinism. Academics such as Steven Pinker have argued this is a fallacy of appeal to nature. While some scholars recognize historical links between the popularisation of Darwin's theory and forms of social Darwinism, they generally maintain that social Darwinism is not a necessary consequence of the principles of biological evolution. Other historians of biology reject the link between Darwinism and social Darwinism on the grounds that Spencer's ideas about evolution deviated from and conflicted with Darwin's. Social Darwinism declined in popularity following World War I, and its purportedly scientific claims were largely discredited by the end of World War II—partially due to its association with Nazism and due to a growing scientific consensus that eugenics and scientific racism were unfounded.