Social Darwinism

     Social Darwinism is the idea of survival of the fittest within societies. Survival of the fittest as it applies to society ensures that some people can adapt to society and others cannot. Those people that cannot adapt will die of starvation or other such causes. During the 1700s, people in the south thought that Africans should not be freed because they were less intelligent than white people. The southerners thought that if Africans were freed, they would not be able to adapt to society and they would die. During World War II, Germans, themselves, believed that they were superior to the Jews, however, they reacted to that belief by trying to kill all of the Jews. Both groups believed, though, that both other groups were less intelligent than them.

     The theories of Darwinism were created by Charles Darwin. He was a British naturalist who traveled on the H.M.S Beagle on a science expedition around the world. While he traveled, he found and studied fossils that were similar to modern species and plants that were similar to plants in South America. From his studies, he formed theories of evolution. He believed that evolution did occur, through natural selection also known as survival of the fittest. Survival of the fittest is based on the idea that species would have to compete for food and shelter. Certain species would adapt to the environment and become the best at getting food while others would not be able to adapt, in which case, they would die off. Herbert Spencer was the man who applied the ideas of Darwinism to society. Social Darwinism puts forth the theories that evolution among people in society does occur and that there is "survival of the fittest" among people in society. People need to compete for success and money. There will be some people in society who will be able to adapt to a certain environment and gain characteristics that will put them higher than most people. Others will not be able to adapt and change their characteristics. If people cannot adapt, they will not make money and they will starve. Social Darwinists do not mind when the weak die. In fact, they oppose welfare that would keep the weak alive because they think that with the elimination of the weak people in society, only the people with the best characteristics will be left. Among these superior people, though, they will have to compete among themselves for success and money. Some people will gain better characteristics than those people and the weakest people of that group will die off. Therefore, the society will continue to "evolve" into a superior society as the weak become eliminated.

     In the south, people such as Thomas Jefferson claimed that if he freed his slaves, it would be as if he put a baby on the streets. He, like many others, believed that slaves were not as intelligent as white people and that they could not adapt to society. To southerners, slaves were only used for labor and housework. They believed that Africans were genetically less intelligent than whites; the position slaves had in society reflects that. At that time, Africans could not go to school and get an education either. Should the Africans be freed, they would only have experience in domestic things and they would not be able to raise their education. Whites believed that Africans could not adapt or learn the traits needed for a new job because they were not as intelligent as whites. With no job, Africans would starve to death. Some whites did not want to kill Africans, so their justification for slavery was that slave owners gave Africans food and shelter that they would not be able to earn on their own.

     The Germans believed that they were superior to Jews. They did not want to keep the Jews in Germany, so they "purified" Germany by sending Jews to concentration camps. While at the concentration camps, Jews died from gas chambers and by too much work. By killing the Jews, the weaker people in society, Germans thought that they would make Germany the elite society that the social Darwinists believe in.

     Social Darwinist ideas have been believed by strong groups of people who saw themselves at the "fittest." Americans believed that Africans were less intelligent than themselves, so they kept them as slaves. Whites claimed that they were helping Africans survive in America. The "superior" Germans killed Jews, but with the mindset of becoming a supreme society. Even a few years ago, a book called The Bell Curve was written by people who believed in Social Darwinism. It would not be unlikely if the following generations saw another group rise up and with their actions, show that they too believe a certain group of people is less intelligent than them.