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Analysis essay on the time machine
The influence of social Darwinism on society
Short essay on social darwinism as by herbert spencer
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Survival of the fittest. This idea, also known as Darwinism, was theorized by scientist Charles Darwin to explain the evolution of animal species. In the late 1800s, however, the idea of Social Darwinism emerged and applied the same concepts of Darwinism but on humans not animals. As defined by the dictionary, Social Darwinism is a belief, popular in the late Victorian era throughout the world, which states that the strongest or toughest should survive and flourish in society, while the weak and unfit should be allowed to die (“Social” 1). Science fiction writer H.G. Wells lived when the ideas of Social Darwinism were at their peak. He was able to see firsthand what effects Social Darwinism had on the world, and he was by no means impressed. By examining the different critical lenses of The Time Machine, the reader can see how H.G. Wells warns how the adverse effects of Social Darwinism are endangering the future of humanity.
From a historical standpoint, there is evidence of a relationship regarding social issues during Wells’ own time and the setting of The Time Machine. The setting of the novel occurs during the late 1800s and the year 802,701. The late 1800s were the end of the Victorian Era, when the idea of Social Darwinism was at its height. At this time, the economies, governments, and technologies of the White European countries were advanced in comparison to that of other cultures. The Time Traveller rhetorically asks himself, “[e]ven now, does not an East-end worker live in such artificial conditions as practically to be cut off from the natural surface of the Earth?” (Wells 41). Here, the Time Traveller makes a relationship between what he sees in the future, non-workers living above ground and workers livin...
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Social Darwinism is a late 19th century term used to describe the application of British naturalist Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection to social and political conditions. Late 19th century sociologist Herbert Spencer tried to capture the essence of social Darwinism with his phrase “survival of the fittest”. This essentially meant that the strong would rise to the top while the weak simply died out. Social Darwinists eschew social responsibility and compassion, instead believing that some people are more fit to survive than others. Many social Darwinists advocated that the government should maintain a laissez-faire, or hands off, approach when it came to regulating economic competition and alleviating social inequalities. Social Darwinism was used to justify the consolidation of the majority of wealth by a minority of Americans. The term allowed people to rationalize capitalism, imperialism, racism, and even eugenics. The wealthy believed in social Darwinism because it allowed them to justify their oppressive business tactics and low wages for their labor force. Politicians believed in it because it allowed them to justify imperialism, or expansion of the nation. Affluent Anglo-Saxons believed in social Darwinism, believing themselves to be the superior race, and used it to justify ...
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