Social Darwinism in American Thought, 1860-1915
Author | : Richard Hofstadter |
Publisher | : University of Pennsylvania Press |
Total Pages | : 204 |
Release | : 2017-01-31 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781512816976 |
ISBN-13 | : 1512816973 |
Rating | : 4/5 (973 Downloads) |
Download or read book Social Darwinism in American Thought, 1860-1915 written by Richard Hofstadter and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2017-01-31 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.