Social Darwinism: The Evolution of Business

Definition

Social Darwinism was the application of Charles Darwin's scientific theories of evolution and natural selection to contemporary social development. In nature, only the fittest survived. Thus led the same essential idea in the marketplace. This form of justification was adopted by many American businessmen as "scientific" proof of their superiority.
 Differences between Darwinism and Social Darwinism
  • Darwinism was a scientific theory that applied to all species
  • Social Darwinism was politically "scientific" and only applied to humans

Social Darwinism Emerges

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  • Applied when the Origin of Species was published in 1859 by Charles Darwin
  • Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection was controversial because it went against the church's Creation belief
  • Herbert Spencer took Darwin's theory and applied it to human behavior
     -  Had capitalistic beliefs saying the fittest were typically the richest and smartest, which argued that Social Darwinism would improve the community



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Oscar Schmidt first used the term "Social Darwinism" in Germany in a speech at The University of Strasbourg, which was translated to English in America.

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Darwin understood the way species formed as well as how they died out.
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Darwinism: Evolution of Species Diagram

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