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Social darwinism in economics gilded age
Social darwinism in economics gilded age
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William Graham Sumner – Social Darwinist Sumner was the follower of Darwin’s ideas and Herbert Spencer’s, Social Darwinism. He is considered to be vigorous and influential social Darwinist in America. He was a professor at Yale College. He developed the concepts of Folkways, diffusion, and ethnocentrism. He is not as big as Spencer but his ideas were bold enough to be recognized. He played three important roles in the development of American thought, he was a great Puritan preacher, an exponent of the Classical pessimism of Ricardo and Malthus, and an assimilator and popularizer of evolution. He was able to build a bridge between the economic ethic set in motion by the Reformation and the thought of the nineteenth century. William Graham Sumner came from a hard working family. He grew up in the environment where he was taught to respect Protestant economic virtues. Hard work and efficiently utilizing money leads to the result in success. After reading, Illustration of Political Economy written by Harriet Marti he became aware of the wage fund doctrine, and other theories associated with that. His understanding of capital, labor, money and trade were based upon the book, Illustration of Political Economy. He published books like Earth hunger, The Absurd Effort to Make the World Over, The Forgotten Man, Folkways and others. His intellectual ideas were passed through the columns of popular journals and from the lecture platform, he waged a holy war against reformism, protectionism, socialism, and government interventionism. Sumner was very influenced with the Spencer’s ideas. He was unclear about the Spencer’s ideas about creating a systematic science of society after his graduation. However, Spencer’s proposals aided Sumner’s ini... ... middle of paper ... ...roblems and issues, which a middle class man has to go through in such a system. He attacked democracy and but he had no sympathy for plutocracy. He was about to resign from the Yale because of the fight with the President Porter about the over use of the book The Study of Sociology as a textbook. He never become fainter although of many critics. The Republican Press and Republican alumni Yale were fighting for his dismissal from the Yale. Folkways was one of his best work, but the ideas presented in folkways were never reconciled with rest of his thought. Folkways was considered to be the products of natural forces as evolutionary growths. Works Cited: Porter, Duncan M. and Graham, Peter W. The Portable Darwin. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. Bowler, Peter J. Evolution: The History of an Idea. London: University of California Press, 1989.
Zhao, Buyun. "Charles Darwin & Evolution." Charles Darwin & Evolution. Christ's College, 2009. Web. 04 May 2014.
Michael Ruse, The Darwinian Revolution, pub. 1979 by The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
Benjamin Franklin and Henry David Thoreau have been thought of as two powerful philosophers in history. Both men were alive centuries ago, but their unique ways of life and ideas still exist in some of history’s most admirable figures. Each man had a judgment that went beyond the era they existed in, but is still obvious in today’s culture. Even though both men are credited for their wise principles, their beliefs do not always coincide with one another. However, one thing they do have in common is that they both revolutionized America through their thoughts, actions, and distinctive opinions on how to improve the world around them.
Darwin and Evolution are inextricably linked in the minds of most people who have had the opportunity to study them in basic biology. However, Darwin's theories of selection and survival of the fittest have been applied to moral, economic, political, and other cultural aspects of society. Dennett briefly touched on some of the political and social ramifications of Darwin's theories in the final chapter of Darwin's Dangerous Idea. Other philosophers and thinkers have also adapted Darwin's evolutionary ideas, in order to apply them in a societal or cultural context. One great example of this adaptation of the biological concept of evolution, is the appearance of Social Darwinism during the 19th century.
The theory of social darwinism was first introduced to the public[1] in “A Theory of Population, Deduced from the General Law of Animal Fertility”, an article by Herbert Spencer published in 1852. This work preceded the publishing of Darwin’s book by seven years, and “given the timing, it is curious that Darwin’s theory was not labeled ‘natural Spencerism’ instead of Spencer’s theory being labeled ‘social Darwinism.’”[2] Spencer’s article, though mainly focused on biology and the ways in which animal populations develop, does include an inkling of the social ideas he would later more fully examine. His main theory of population deals with survival of the fittest, a phrase he coins in this a...
Also, they both understand the importance of the competition of man and how it affects wealth and poverty. The reasoning that can attribute to their similarities and differences is their profession. Carnegie is a renowned industrialist known for his steel industry. Being an industrialist he understands the importance of contribution to society which is why he propagates the significance of the wealthy helping the poor. On the other hand, Sumner was a “professor of political economy at Yale University” (textbook, 488), and his profession correlates to why he advocates the idea that social darwinism can positively affect a capitalist
John Winthrop and Ralph Waldo Emerson were two prominent figures in the literature and the political scene of the American history. Winthrop (1588-1649) was a governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He left England, along with a group of entrepreneurs in search of economic opportunities in the new world. Winthrop grew to become a strong puritan believer and possibly the pioneer of the Puritan faith. He believed that the English church was corrupted by its selfish leaders. Winthrop envisioned an idealized community in which all citizens would offer their lives to the service of God. On the other hand, Emerson (1803 –1882) was an American essayist, lecturer, thinker, philosopher, and poet. He was the leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the mid-19th century. He was regarded as a champion of individualism and a leader of the march against the pressure of society. His work and beliefs were documented in his published essays and lectures. Emerson gradually changed his views regarding religion and society. In the process, he developed his own way of thinking which revolved around the principles of transcendentalism and individualism. Winthrop and Emerson ideas of a utopia might have flourished from religious roots. However, their principals of Puritanism and transcendentalism were completely incongruent.
10. Leakey, L.S.B. and Vanne Morris Goodall. (1969) Unveiling Man's Origins: Ten Decades of Thought about Human Evolution. Cambridge: Schenkman Publishing.
Darwin, Charles, and David Quammen. On the Origin of Species. New York: Sterling, 2008. 349. Print.
William Sumner, “William Graham Sumner on Social Darwinism,” in Voices of Freedom. Ed. By Eric Foner
The concept of Social Darwinism was a widely accepted theory in the nineteenth-century. Various intellectual, and political figures from each side of the political spectrum grasped the theory and interpreted it in various ways. In this paper, we will discuss three different nineteenth-century thinkers and their conception of Social Darwinism. The conservative, Heinrich von Treitschke, and liberal Herbert Spencer both gave arguments on the usefulness of competition between people on a global scale. The anarchist, Peter Kropotkin, refuted the belief of constant competition among members of the same species and emphasized mutual aid.
Emile Durkheim is another sociologist who used Herbert Spencer’s theory to explain the change in society. He believed that society is a very intricate system of interrelated and interdependent parts that work together to maintain stability (Durkheim 1893). This ensures that the social world is held together by shared values and languages. He wrote the Division of Labor.
Sheler, Jeffrey. “The Pope and Darwin.” U.S. News and World Report 4 October 1996: EBSCOhost. Seaside High School Lib., Seaside, OR 29 September 2004
Wiester, John L. 1993. The Real Meaning of Evolution. Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 45 (3): 182-86.
Desmond, Adrian J. "Charles Darwin." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. .