William Graham Sumner Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is William Graham Sumner?

William Graham Sumner was an influential American sociologist, economist, and political scientist who is best known for his contributions to Social Darwinism. He was born in Paterson, New Jersey in 1840 and graduated from Yale College in 1863. After working briefly as a minister, he became a professor of political economy at Yale and published several books on the subject over the course of his academic career. His most famous work was Folkways (1906), which argued that the human race is subject to natural selection just like other animals and that cultural customs are passed down through generations based on their ability to survive.Sumner’s views on Social Darwinism were heavily influenced by Herbert Spencer’s theory of evolution. He argued that society should allow individuals to compete freely without interference or protection from governments or other agencies because it would lead to the survival of the fittest people and ideas. This concept eventually led him into conflict with reformers who wanted more government intervention in order to protect workers’ rights or improve public health standards. Despite this opposition, Sumner remained popular with some conservative thinkers who admired his beliefs about free markets and limited government intervention. Sumner’s ideas have had lasting effects beyond academiaSocial Darwinism has been used as justification for oppressive economic policies throughout history. His views have been criticized for ignoring social inequalities such as racial segregation or gender discrimination, which are not determined by natural selection but instead arise due to institutionalized forms of oppression. However, he remains an important figure in the history of sociology and economics due to his influence on those fields during his lifetime.