Social darwinism facts for kids
Social Darwinism is an idea that uses Charles Darwin's theory of evolution to explain how human society works.
People who believed in Social Darwinism thought that strong people and groups should become richer and more powerful. They also believed that weaker people and groups should lose their wealth and power.
Even though it has Darwin's name, Social Darwinism is mostly linked to other thinkers. These include Herbert Spencer, Thomas Malthus, and Francis Galton. Galton was known for starting the idea of eugenics.
Contents
What is Social Darwinism?
Social Darwinism suggests that societies, like living things, compete to survive. In this view, the "fittest" or strongest individuals and groups succeed. This idea was used to explain differences in wealth and power among people.
It was also used to justify why some people were rich and others were poor. Supporters believed that this was a natural process, like natural selection in animals.
Key Thinkers
Several important people helped shape the ideas of Social Darwinism.
Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher. He used the phrase "survival of the fittest" even before Darwin's book on evolution. Spencer believed that society would get better if people were allowed to compete freely. He thought that helping the poor would stop this natural progress.
Thomas Malthus
Thomas Malthus was an English economist. He wrote about how human populations grow faster than the food supply. He believed that poverty and famine were natural ways to control population. His ideas influenced Social Darwinism by suggesting that some people would naturally struggle.
Francis Galton
Francis Galton was a cousin of Charles Darwin. He focused on how human traits are passed down through families. Galton believed that society could be improved by encouraging people with "good" traits to have more children. This idea is known as eugenics.
Where Did the Idea Come From?
The term "Social Darwinism" first appeared in Europe in 1880. A journalist named Emilie Gautier used it after a health conference in Berlin in 1877.
Around 1900, sociologists began using the term. Some of them were against the idea. In the United States, the American historian Richard Hofstadter made the term well-known in 1944.
Why Did it Decline?
Social Darwinism became less popular after World War I. This was partly because it became linked to Nazism. The Nazis used similar ideas to justify their actions.
Because of this, mentioning Social Darwinism usually has a negative meaning today.
Images for kids
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Alfred Rosenberg
See also
In Spanish: Darwinismo social para niños
