Social
Darwinism at Every Fork in the Road |
On this page you will find definitions
and a bit of history about Social Darwinism from resources on the
internet.
Here is an excerpt from the introduction to an article about Social Darwinism in Microsoft's Encarta Online Encyclopedia*
[My comments in this color of green]
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...and Here is an excerpt from a section about Social Darwinism an article about the History of Education in Microsoft's Encarta Online Encyclopedia*
"British sociologist Herbert Spencer strongly influenced education in the mid-19th century with social theories based on the theory of evolution developed by British naturalist Charles Darwin. Spencer revised Darwin’s biological theory into social Darwinism, a body of ideas that applied the theory of evolution to society, politics, the economy, and education. Spencer maintained that in modern industrialized societies, as in earlier simpler societies, the “fittest” individuals of each generation survived because they were intelligent and adaptable. Competition caused the brightest and strongest individuals to climb to the top of the society. Urging unlimited competition, Spencer wanted government to restrict its activities to the bare minimum. He opposed public schools, claiming that they would create a monopoly for mediocrity by catering to students of low ability. He wanted private schools to compete against each other in trying to attract the brightest students and most capable teachers."
[Sound familiar?] "Education, History of," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2003 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761561415&sec=15#s15 |
? What do you |~_~| |