Social Colonialism And Social Darwinism

Throughout all of human history racism has existed to some point. It did not; however, always exist in the horrible and genocidal levels we now know today. Most of the ways racism is often used now is a result of a theory that came to dominate the 19th century. This theory was Social Darwinism, a theory that mandated racism and condoned genocide. The heinous shadow of Social Darwinism can still be felt to this day. Social Darwinism can be linked to many “evils” in the world and has left an indelible mark on the world’s social conscious.

Literature Review

Schubert, M. (2011). The 'German nation ' and the 'black Other ': Social Darwinism and the cultural mission in German colonial discourse. Patterns Of

This book defined Charles Darwin’s new radical way of looking at biology and life in general. The theory of evolution as it was defined then states that all species arise from a common ancestor through differing genetics. This differing of genetics would be fueled by natural selection, natural selection being that those with the superior genes would rise above those with inferior ones. The inferior ones would go extinct while the genetically superior ones would continue to go through this cycle. Darwin and his work existed in the world of European Imperialism. Colonialism was in full swing as European powers parceled up the world between them. As they did so they began to come across people practically, to them, from another period. They had none of the necessary (as Europeans saw it) things of a real civilized people. They were tribal, their weapons often lacked even metal, and some even lacked agriculture; to the Europeans, these people were what they thought was the definition

Herbert Spencer, the coiner of the term, “survival of the fittest”, is probably one of the most well-known proponents of Social Darwinism. Despite this, Herbert Spencer while holding Social Darwinist views never actually pushed them heavily in the biological sphere. Still Herbert Spencer’s ideas heavily influenced Social Darwinism as a whole, so it is still worth mentioning. Herbert Spencer fused evolution and economics so to speak, “that Darwinist principles were intended to buttress the case that biological evolution could be equally applicable to human societies” (Rutledge, 1995, p.243). If a business crushed another business, it was natural vis-a-vi survival of the fittest. At the time this was a highly popular form of business ideology, especially amongst the rich. As such his ideas for economics helped gain momentum for Social Darwinist thought in other