Social Darwinism

“But, whether the law be benign or not, we must say of it, as we say of the change in the conditions of men to which we have referred: It is here; we cannot evade it; no substitutes for it have been found; and while the law may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it insures the survival of the fittest in every department. We accept and welcome, therefore, as conditions to which we must accommodate ourselves, great inequality of environment, the concentration of business, industrial and commercial, in the hands of a few, and the law of competition between these, as being not only beneficial, but essential for the future progress of the race” (pg. 328.)

Andrew Carnegie believed on the principles of Social Darwinism or the survival of the fittest, as he discusses in Essay. I am sure his great success coming from a poor young man to a wealthy man, who helped to revolutionize the American Industry in the 19^th Century, had something to do with his view. What he did not  recognize  was the fact that those principles only benefit a few people who had the fortune to be one of the “survivors.” It only allows people who have accumulated much much more than they can ever spend not to feel guilty about. It does not help society, since the poorest of the population being neglected and left to fend for them selves is inhumane and only contributes for a cycle of uneducated, unhealthy, unhappy population. What people call “survivor of the fittest,” it is nothing but merciless, greediness, and unkindness. How can people with good morals abandon children to fend for themselves? What kind of society would we be if we turn our backs to the elderly and the sick? There is such hatred and contempt against the underprivileged that did not ask to be in this position that sickens me. As a future Social Worker my values goes so much against these principles. My instinct is always to help the less fortunate, to empower, and inspire people to become strong and live a better life. We don’t need to compete like animals. There is enough for everybody.