Social Darwinism, as a trend, emerged in the 19th century.Proceedings of the founders of the doctrine had a tremendous influence on his contemporaries.Naturally, the very law of Darwin, as a large-scale scientific event, could not help but affect the domain of social knowledge.In England, the doctrine systematically applied to real life Bagehot and Spencer.Last, as a journalist, economist, I tried in the study of historical processes in society to use the principles on which was built the considered direction.By the end of the 19th century ideas were assimilated Spencer leading figures Giddings and Ward.
Social Darwinism.Key concepts
For all of social science of the 19th century, especially its second half, was the typical number of priority points.These key concepts highlighted by Darwin himself.The theory, which scientists have followed after him, has become a kind of paradigm, which is penetrated to different areas of public thought.These basic concepts have become "natural selection", "survival of the fittest", "the struggle for existence."In this regard, social Darwinism has acted not only as a particular direction.Categories inherent in teaching began to be used in those areas of knowledge which were originally to him more hostile.For example, Durkheim applied some concepts included in social Darwinism.Despite his rather radical antireductionism in the study of social phenomena, as well as the emphasis on the importance of solidarity, he saw the division in social labor as a somewhat softened form of a specific struggle for existence.
Social Darwinism in the late 19th century
By the end of the nineteenth century, the idea of "natural selection" went beyond the scientific sphere and have become quite popular in business, journalism, mass consciousness fiction.Representatives, for example, the economic elite, business tycoons, based on the theory of evolution, concluded that they were not just lucky and talented, but also considered a visible embodiment of the victory in the struggle for existence in their particular field.In connection with this a mistake, according to the researchers, to consider the doctrine of social Darwinism, based only on the biological aspects and is a simple extension of their.It can be defined as a direction that reduces the laws of social development to the principles of natural evolution.Social Darwinism, in particular, considers the struggle for survival as a defining aspect of life.At the beginning of this non-biological scientists point out that, in a sense actualized and substantiated long-standing social thought.Among all the signs of the direction under consideration is considered to be one of the main consideration of life as a kind of arena in which the widespread and continuous struggle, conflicts, clashes between individuals, societies, groups, customs, institutions, cultural and social types.
