ANTHRO 128B Lecture 10: 1/31/18
How did Social Darwinism start?
What is Eugenics?
Idea of progress explained the nature and course of social evolution
English naturalist who traveled the world
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Limited amount of resources; competition for them
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pushed for natural selection
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Complex series of debates before book came out
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Book challenged a lot of assumptions made before from those debates
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Social Darwinism emerges
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The Origin of Species 1859
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Charles Darwin
Had a very similar theory of evolution by natural selection to Darwin's
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Presented joint paper with Darwin on evolution
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Alfred Russel Wallace
Population increases more rapidly than resources
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Not everyone born can survive; struggle for existence
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Poor were having too many children
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Society could not afford to support this population increase
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Aiding 'unfit' may undermine the improvement of the race
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Views on poverty
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Thomas Malthus's 'Essay on Population' 1798
'survival of the fittest'
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Evolutionary change is simple to complex
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Struggle for survival led to superior traits; helping those who were unfit hindered human race
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Evolution was progressive
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Social Darwinism
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Herbert Spencer
Fitness or value of society can be defined in a number of ways
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Social competition between fit vs unfit groups of individuals
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Used to rationalize social inequities among races, classes, and genders
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Spencer's was most popular version of Social Darwinism
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Social Darwinism or Social Spencerism?
Mainly produced subspecies or varieties
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Not much experimental proof that natural selection produced new species
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Fossil record was imperfect and contained gaps
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If evolution happened gradually, then the earth must be much older than thought at the time
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Limitations of Evolution
Inherited characteristics played distinctive role in character of a people
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What was new with Darwinism?
1/31/18
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
10:56 AM
January 31 Page 1
Document Summary
Idea of progress explained the nature and course of social evolution. English naturalist who traveled the world pushed for natural selection. Complex series of debates before book came out. Book challenged a lot of assumptions made before from those debates. Had a very similar theory of evolution by natural selection to darwin"s. Not everyone born can survive; struggle for existence. Society could not afford to support this population increase. Aiding "unfit" may undermine the improvement of the race. Struggle for survival led to superior traits; helping those who were unfit hindered human race. Spencer"s was most popular version of social darwinism. Social competition between fit vs unfit groups of individuals. Fitness or value of society can be defined in a number of ways. Used to rationalize social inequities among races, classes, and genders. Not much experimental proof that natural selection produced new species. If evolution happened gradually, then the earth must be much older than thought at the time.
