Social Darwinism, what it is and why it is still valid

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Social Darwinism has given rise to the idea that there are people or peoples naturally stronger than others, which would explain in some way the social order of the planet. Now, what is true in this idea?

Social Darwinism is an approach that aims to apply the concepts of natural selection to specific individuals and societies. From this point of view we could derive the idea that the same thing that happens in nature should happen in society; That is, only “the strongest” survive.

Social Darwinism has given rise to a volume of theories and policies of dubious validity to justify different forms of discrimination.. There are many people who have resorted, and continue to resort, to this approach to undermine the value of people of a certain ethnicity or origin.

The most execrable manifestation of social Darwinism was Nazism which, despite everything, has not remained completely in the past. There are quite a few neo-Nazi groups that exist today. From these concepts emerge the different forms of supremacism that have done so much damage to the world.

“All our human ancestors are from Africa, from there we began to expand throughout the world. At that time, no one was thinking about building a wall to prevent immigration.”.

-Michel Brunet-

Charles Darwin is the author of the theory of evolution, although it was Herbert Spencer who brought it to the social world. Editorial credit: roseed abbas / Shutterstock.com

Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution and with it he marked a definitive milestone in what was believed until then about nature. This theory states that different species evolve from natural selection. This is a process by which Stronger organisms adapt and survive, while weaker ones disappear over time..

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In this way, in nature there is a continuous fight for survival that the strongest are destined to win. The first to transfer these concepts from the natural world to the social world was Herbert Spencer. The postulate of social Darwinism is very simple: if in nature the strongest prevail, the same must happen in the human world.

The first problem with this approach is that it does not define what “strong” or “weak” means.. Was Stephen Hawking “weak” because he suffered from an illness, despite having been one of the most brilliant scientists in the world? Was Adolph Hitler “strong” for having invaded almost all of Europe, even though this only brought misery and destruction?

A theory without foundations

Social Darwinism has not served so much to catalog “strong” and “weak” individuals, but has been more oriented towards classifying entire societies and ethnic groups. Actually, has been a theoretical device to justify violence exercised by some peoples over others and of some individuals over others. Behind this there is nothing but ignorance and desire for power and wealth.

Race is one of the favorite topics of those who defend social Darwinism. The supremacy of one race over others has been the leitmotiv of many discriminatory and violent acts. It is also usually the reason why some individuals feel they have the right to attack or belittle those who have darker skin than them.

Science has done nothing more than dismantle the very concept of race. There is nothing genetically significant that differentiates a person who has a certain skin color from another whose amount of melanin is different. This has been known since the 70s. Furthermore, and this is the most unusual thing, we all come from the same black ancestors. It is not new information. French paleontologist Michel Brunet tested it more than 20 years ago.

Social Darwinism has been more oriented towards classifying societies and ethnicities.

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A convenient pretext

Social Darwinism has served as a pretext to justify robberies and mass murders. For example, if “the black man” does not have a soul, then he has the right to enslave him and appropriate his labor power, so that he generates wealth for others for life, without making a major investment. If the one who is “green” belongs to an inferior culture, then there is nothing wrong with invading it, subjugating it and taking all of its property.

Savage capitalism has also appropriated some aspects of social Darwinism to justify unacceptable inequality. Hence postulates that if there are poor people or towns, they are poor because of their inferiority. In other words, it does not matter that they have been systematically expropriated or limited by others. Nor that they have not had the same historical or current opportunities.

Social Darwinism also serves some individuals to justify their pathological narcissism.. It was the case of Hitler and many others who unleash their destructive desires on others, hiding behind baseless theoretical concepts. In other words, people and sectors that equate brutality with force commit serious injustices and derive great personal benefit from it.