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Author: Stuart K. Hayashi
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 073918671X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 421
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Book Description
Hunting Down Social Darwinism is the third and final installment in the trilogy, The Nature of Liberty. The trilogy gives a secular, ethical defense of laissez-faire capitalism, inspired by Ayn Rand’s ideas. The trilogy’s first book, The Freedom of Peaceful Action, provided the philosophic theory behind the ethics of a free-enterprise system based on the individual rights to life, liberty, and private property which John Locke described. The second installment, Life in the Market Ecosystem, explained how free enterprise functions much as a natural ecosystem wherein behavioral norms develop, bottom-up, from repeat interactions among individual participants in the economy. As such defenses of free enterprise are frequently criticized as “social Darwinism,” however, this third and final installment of the trilogy asks the question, “What is social Darwinism?” The book embarks on a hunt for the term’s meaning, explores social Darwinism’s beginnings, and examines whether it is fair to describe such nineteenth-century free-market advocates as Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner as social Darwinists. It then addresses the accusation that the free-market Darwinism commonly ascribed to Spencer and Sumner rationalized bigotry and founded the pseudoscience of eugenics. In the process, the book refutes various myths about the topic popularized by such scholars as Richard Hofstadter and John Kenneth Galbraith. The extent to which the popular narratives about social Darwinism prove to be inaccurate holds enormous ramifications for current controversies. It has implications for debates over the ethical appropriateness of reducing taxpayer spending on social welfare programs, and also sheds new light on the pros and cons of attempts to apply biological evolutionary theory to the study of human social institutions. Additionally discussed is the manner in which various prominent figures in economics, evolutionary psychology, and Complexity Theory have grown famous for advancing ideas which Spencer and Sumner originated, even as such figures simultaneously downplay the importance of Spencer and Sumner to their field. Following the hunt for social Darwinism, this work sums up the trilogy with some final thoughts on the importance that liberty holds for every effort to live life to the fullest.
Author: Stuart K. Hayashi
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 073918671X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 421
Get Book Here
Book Description
Hunting Down Social Darwinism is the third and final installment in the trilogy, The Nature of Liberty. The trilogy gives a secular, ethical defense of laissez-faire capitalism, inspired by Ayn Rand’s ideas. The trilogy’s first book, The Freedom of Peaceful Action, provided the philosophic theory behind the ethics of a free-enterprise system based on the individual rights to life, liberty, and private property which John Locke described. The second installment, Life in the Market Ecosystem, explained how free enterprise functions much as a natural ecosystem wherein behavioral norms develop, bottom-up, from repeat interactions among individual participants in the economy. As such defenses of free enterprise are frequently criticized as “social Darwinism,” however, this third and final installment of the trilogy asks the question, “What is social Darwinism?” The book embarks on a hunt for the term’s meaning, explores social Darwinism’s beginnings, and examines whether it is fair to describe such nineteenth-century free-market advocates as Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner as social Darwinists. It then addresses the accusation that the free-market Darwinism commonly ascribed to Spencer and Sumner rationalized bigotry and founded the pseudoscience of eugenics. In the process, the book refutes various myths about the topic popularized by such scholars as Richard Hofstadter and John Kenneth Galbraith. The extent to which the popular narratives about social Darwinism prove to be inaccurate holds enormous ramifications for current controversies. It has implications for debates over the ethical appropriateness of reducing taxpayer spending on social welfare programs, and also sheds new light on the pros and cons of attempts to apply biological evolutionary theory to the study of human social institutions. Additionally discussed is the manner in which various prominent figures in economics, evolutionary psychology, and Complexity Theory have grown famous for advancing ideas which Spencer and Sumner originated, even as such figures simultaneously downplay the importance of Spencer and Sumner to their field. Following the hunt for social Darwinism, this work sums up the trilogy with some final thoughts on the importance that liberty holds for every effort to live life to the fullest.
Author: Richard Hofstadter
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 0807054623
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 292
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Book Description
Social Darwinism in American Thought portrays the overall influence of Darwin on American social theory and the notable battle waged among thinkers over the implications of evolutionary theory for social thought and political action. Theorists such as Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner adopted the idea of the struggle for existence as justification for the evils as well as the benefits of laissez-faire modern industrial society. Others such as William James and John Dewey argued that human planning was needed to direct social development and improve upon the natural order. Hofstadter's classic study of the ramifications of Darwinism is a major analysis of the social philosophies that animated intellectual movements of the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era.
Author: Richard Hofstadter
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781512812350
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 208
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Book Description
Social Darwinism in American Thought examines the overall influence of Darwin on American social theory and the notable battle waged among thinkers over the implications of evolutionary theory for social thought and political action. Theorists such as Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner adopted the idea of the struggle for existence as justification for the evils--as well as the benefits--of laissez-faire modern industrial society. Others, such as William James and John Dewey, argued that human planning was needed to direct social development and improve on the natural order. Hofstadter's classic study of the ramifications of Darwinism is a major analysis of the social philosophies that animated intellectual movements of the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era.
Author: Peter Dickens
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 150
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Book Description
Social Darwinism is the extension of Darwin's evolutionary ideas to human society. Over the past two centuries it has been argued that the fittest in terms of physical and mental prowess are most likely to survive and reproduce. It has also been suggested that the increasingly complex structure of human society mirrors the increasing complexity of nature. This highly original text examines whether these extensions from nature to society are justified, and considers how dangerous they may be in implying the systematic neglect - or even destruction - of the least fit. It asks what, in any case, is fitness as applied to human beings? It also questions whether human nature is constrained by modern society and whether people evolved as essentially competitive or collaborative. Written in a clear and accessible style, with text boxes to explain key ideas and little or no biological knowledge required of the reader, this book suggests a new way in which evolutionary thought and social theory can be combined
Author: Robert Bannister
Publisher: Temple University Press
ISBN: 143990605X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 336
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Book Description
Attempts to assess the role played by Darwinian ideas in the writings of English-speaking social theorists.
Author: Mike Hawkins
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521574341
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 360
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Book Description
An analysis of the ideological influence of Social Darwinists in Europe and America.
Author: A.P. Thakur
Publisher: Global Vision Pub House
ISBN: 9788182200999
Category : Social evolution
Languages : en
Pages : 180
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Book Description
The Present Book Is A Comprehensive And Critical Analysis Of The Context, Content, As Well As The Contemporary Relevance Of Social Darwinism Which Has Been Quite Instrumental In Evolving The Concept Of Society As A Functional Unity As Well As The Cross-Cultural Methods Of Comparative Study And Analysis Of Social Problems. Even Today, Social Darwinism Is Regar-Ded As A Systematic Approach To The Study Of Social Change Both By Way Of Description And Explanation. It Is Hoped That The Observations And Findings Of This Book Will Be Helpful In Future Research.
Author: Stuart K. Hayashi
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 0739186698
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 777
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Book Description
Life in the Market Ecosystem, the second book inthe Nature of Liberty trilogy, confronts evolutionary psychology head on. It describes the evolutionary psychologists’ theory of gene-culture co-evolution, which states that although customs and culture are not predetermined by anyone’s genetic makeup, one’s practice of a custom can influence the likelihood of that person having children and grandchildren. Therefore, according to the theory, customs count as evolutionary adaptations. Extending that theory further, as entire systems of political economy—capitalism, socialism, and hunter-gatherer subsistence—consist of multiple customs and institutions, it follows that an entire political-economic system can likewise be classified as an evolutionary adaptation. Considering that liberal-republican capitalism has, insofar as the system has been implemented, done more to reduce the mortality rate and secure human fertility than other models of societal structure, it stands to reason that liberal-republican capitalism is itself a beneficent evolutionary adaptation. Moreover, as essential tenets of Rand’s Objectivism—individualism, observation-based rationality, and peaceable self-interest—have been integral to the development of the capitalist ecosystem, important aspects of the Objectivism are worthwhile adaptations as well. This book shall uphold that position, as well as combat critiques by evolutionary psychologists and environmentalists who denounce capitalism as self-destructive. Instead, capitalism is the most sustainable and fairest political model. This book argues that of all the philosophies, Objectivism is the one that is most fit for humanity.
Author: Anne Aschenbrenner
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3656869405
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 30
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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 1,0, LMU Munich (Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: Hauptseminar, language: English, abstract: The phenomenon of Social Darwinism is by no means easy to explain or to define. Its name suggests that Social Darwinism has something to do with Darwinism, meaning the evolutionary theories of Darwin. In the course of this paper, it shall be outlined how Social Darwinism could be defined, what link there is or could be to Darwin and his theories and the role Herbert Spencer plays in coining the term Social Darwinism. Furthermore, it is aimed at discussing the impacts of Social Darwinism on the contemporary society of the 19th century, in particular the English Imperialism and also racism in general, as well in England as in America. Apart from that, the attention will be drawn to the influences of Social Darwinism on English and American literature of the time. Finally, a conclusion will be given to sum up the most important outcomes of this paper.
Author: Wiebke Schröder
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3656392773
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 22
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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject History - Miscellaneous, grade: A, Indiana University (History and Philosophy of Science), course: The Meanings of Darwinism, language: English, abstract: [...] In this paper I want to show how one particular difference in defining social Darwinism affects the manner of telling history. Namely, the difference between social Darwinism as a world-view that is clearly independent of Darwin’s theory and social Darwinism as an application of Darwin’s theory in one way or the other. In the next section I explain why I use Hawkins as a representative of the latter version even though he claims to define social Darwinism independently of Darwin. After a short review of Hofstadter’s reasons for classifying Carnegie as a social Darwinist, I will analyze Carnegie’s essays in some depth. As the only historian who does not take Darwin’s theory as the basis for social Darwinism, I will then confront the analysis with Greene’s perspective. Finally I conclude with an answer to the question of historiographical relevance of defining social Darwinism one way or the other.
