The role of Darwinism in America
Social Darwinism refers to a loose group of ideologies which emerged during the late 1800s following the theory of the Charles Darwin theory of evolution through a natural selection. The above method was applied to justify the various political, economic and social views. The process of social Darwinism believes in the idea of survival for the fittest within society. The relevance here is that within the community, some people became more powerful since they are innately better. The above theory has, however, used to justify the cases of racism, imperialism social inequality as well as eugenics.
Social Darwinism came in the late 19th century during the political and economic expansion. The theory of social Darwinism was, however, used to classify people as inferior and justify the actions against them as the European and the American upper class worked on how they could expand their economic and the political powers. The above theory, brought into the use of several explanations to explain the increased gap that existed between the poor and the rich. Some of the social Darwinist went as far as extending their imperialism based because the imperial powers were superior naturally in nature. Spencer publicly opposed the laws that favoured the workers, the poor within the society and those who looked weak within the community (Ghiselin, pg. 35).
Social Darwinism and the Eugenics did shape the immigrant experience within the USA. It is critical to note that, eugenics was a popular pseudoscience within the early 20th century. It aimed at giving different traits to various classes and races of people., therefore, served as a ticket to deny some immigrants who were regarded as inferior the freedom from being admitted within the US. Some of the above immigrants were coming from the eastern part of Europe. However, there also existed a eugenics idea. That sought at the reduction of the birth rates for the specific type and group of people. The most common control the birth rates were the poor and those who had a mental illness (Leonard, pg. 176).
Other people have argued that the act of religion and Darwinism are by far incompatible because they emanate from different fields and for that matter they should not mix. The concept of Darwinism based on world view. That has led some of the clear morals as well as the religious teachings concerning the origin. Ultimate and the purpose of life that to an extent are opposed to the teachings of Christianity, Jewish and the Islamic faiths. The challenge that arises here is that, sometimes, the Social Darwinists claim that they don’t recognize God. The Christian fundamentalist movement within the American Protestantism that emerged during the late 19th century following the reaction to the theological modernism. The above had an intention to revise the traditional Christian beliefs to accommodate the new advancements within the natural and the social sciences. The most important here was, however, the theory that talked about biological evolution (Peter, pg. 56).
Reference
Ghiselin, Michael T. The triumph of the Darwinian method. Univ of California Press, 196
Leonard, Thomas C. Illiberal reformers: race, eugenics, and American Economics in the Progressive Era. Princeton University Press, 2017.
Peter, Walter G. “Fundamentalist scientists, oppose Darwinian evolution.” BioScience (1970): 1067-1069.