Essay On Social Darwinism

Social Darwinism during the Age of Industry could be seen from two perspectives. There were advantages to Social Darwinism, but as with any form of philosophy, there was also adverse reaction. According to Britannica the definition for Social Darwinism is, “the theory that persons, groups, and races are subject to the same laws of natural selection as Charles Darwin had perceived in plants and animals in nature.” Social Darwinism also encompassed the “survival of the fittest” idea, which was where the poor and weak and not suitable to be in society, and the rich were fit to live. Social Darwinism was helpful in that it was eliminating the feudal system way of thinking, and the class system. People could work and earn money, and rise to the top of the social and economic pole, the harder
Social Darwinism necessitated child labor in order to help the rich stay on top, but it also reveals the self-centeredness of Social Darwinism, and how it is set up for failure. Child labor was a large factor to the Social Darwinism during the Age of Industry era. There were no laws limiting the child labor, the hours a child could legally work, or the working conditions these children were allowed to work in. Bosses could and would beat children, and work them habitually for over twelve hours per day. Yet, another issue with child labor, was adults during the Age of Industry were so focused on themselves and getting to the top that they did not take the time to educate the children. Once the adults retire, and become too frail to work, the children who were becoming adults will be the next in the cycle to start working. Social Darwinism, in the Age of Industry, did not take into account the fact that the children would only be young for a short period of time, and by letting them continue working in factories, they were disabling the younger generation to