Theory of Social Darwinism and the Impacts on Indigenous Australians Essay Example
Theory of Social Darwinism and the Impacts on Indigenous Australians Essay Example

Theory of Social Darwinism and the Impacts on Indigenous Australians Essay Example

Available Only on StudyHippo
  • Pages: 4 (1052 words)
  • Published: August 13, 2017
  • Type: Essay
View Entire Sample
Text preview

Social Darwinism is a societal theory that Natural Selection in Darwin 's Theory is used to human society. Social Darwinism is evaluated from Darwin 's Theory. However, Social Darwinism is a belief and it is popular in the late Victorian ear in England, America and elsewhere. The intent of this essay is to analyse the theory of Social Darwinism and its impacts on autochthonal Australians. This essay will foremost hold a brief debut. Following it, it will discourse the theory of Social Darwinism. After that, it will explicate the impact of Social Darwinism on autochthonal Australians. Finally, it will be a decision of the essay.

Theory of Social Darwinism

The theory of Social Darwinism was put frontward by Herbert Spencer in 19th century. Social Darwinism is the general term which applies to several different ways in which people ( non li

...

fe scientists ) tried to use a deformed and narrow reading of the construct of natural choice to human cultural systems. ( Peter, 2003 ) The popularity of Social Darwinism lasted from 19th century to World War II. Some people even think modern biological science can be classified into Social Darwinism. The construct of Social Darwinism foremost appeared in American Historian Richard Hofstadter 's book in 1944 ( Thomas, 2009 ).

Social Darwinism is a sort of construct. This construct thinks that the nucleus of Darwinism-natural choice is a common phenomenon in the human society. Theory of Social Darwinism thinks that natural choice plays an of import function in the human development and development. Social Darwinism has of all time been used by its protagonists to call on the societal inequality, racism and imperialism. Social Darwinism itself is

View entire sample
Join StudyHippo to see entire essay

non a political tendency.Some Social Darwinists use this construct to exemplify the societal advancement and inevitable alteration. Some Social Darwinists think that human debasement is inevitable. As the same as Theory of Evolution, Social Darwinism is normally involved in the argument on Eugenicss.

Social Darwinism besides derived some constructs, including competition, eugenics and racism.

Competition

A simplified position of Social Darwinism is that people, particularly for work forces, have to vie to last in the hereafter. They can non give any aid to the hapless because they must feed themselves. Most of Social Darwinism in 21st century supports the betterment of working conditions and higher rewards in order to give the hapless the chance to feed themselves, so that autonomy is better than those who are lazy, weak or hapless.

Eugenicss

Another societal reading of Social Darwinism is Eugenics. This theory is developed by Darwin 's cousin, Francis Galton. Galton believes that people 's physical features are significantly from coevals to coevals. Therefore, the human encephalon qualities ( mastermind and endowment ) have the same rule. Then the community should hold a clear familial determination to better eugenics.

Racism

The racial high quality and competition political orientation in the terminal of 19 century and early of 20 century are associated with Social Darwinism. The basic race construct of Social Darwinism is that white race should educate other races of people in the universe by a civilised manner.

Darwin 's Evolution Theory divides the race on the footing of Genetic Bifurcation and Natural Selection Theory. Genetic Bifurcation is a group of familial stuff which isolated with each other, so they can develop its ain alone familial features. This theory is applies to all life

beings. Because of cistron bifurcation, people have different races and cultural groups.

Impacts on of Social Darwinism on autochthonal Aussies

Theories of Social Darwinism brought the catastrophe to autochthonal Australians. Australian continent appeared before 60, 000 old ages ago. Most of the autochthonal Australians were isolated from the remainder of universe before Europe settled in Australia. After the colony of British, population of autochthonal Australians reduced by 90 % , which is besides influenced by Social Darwinism.

In the early of the 20th century, Social Darwinism was besides popular in Australia. The Racial Theories of Social Darwinism were used to warrant settler intervention of the autochthonal Australians, as 'subhuman ' , 'primitive ' and an 'inferior race ' . Social Darwinism accelerated the decease of autochthonal Australians. As the tegument colour of autochthonal Australians is similar to black, people are easy to associate them to Blacks. Racism favoritism emerged with the popularity of Social Darwinism.

The Aborigines Protection Act 1909 established cantonments to supply a topographic point for the 'doomed race to decease off ' as autochthonal Australian would "inevitably go nonextant" ( Eleanor, 2002 ). Even cruel is that autochthonal Australians were treated like experimental animate beings, which were allowed by settle policy. Between 1920 and 1930, 1000s of autochthonal Australians were used to 'scientific ' probe into encephalon capacity and braincase size. Australian captivation with eugenics is similar to the compulsion of Nazi Germany society in relation to the Jews in the 1930s and early 1940s ( Geoffrey, 2004 ).

Eugenicss Theory of Social Darwinism besides impacted on autochthonal Australians. Children of assorted autochthonal Australians and Europeans descent were called "half-castes '' and a menace to alleged "

racial pureness '' . ( Dickens, 2000 ) Harmonizing to the Eugenics Theory, the policy took these kids far off from their parents to "engender the inkiness out of them '' . Based on Eugenics Theory, approximately 100,000 kids with autochthonal blood were taken off from their households. Parents did non cognize where they kids were and were non allowed to follow them. At the same clip, these kids did non cognize who were their parents and thought they were orphans.

The racist authorities thought the job could be solved if autochthonal Australians were deceasing out. As a consequence, these kids were called "Stolen Generations '' . Settler policy believed that white, Christian households and get oning schools was the best environment in which to raise Aboriginal kids. They believed they were making what was 'protecting them ' and was 'best for them ' , whether the kids or their parents liked it or non. ( Read, 2001 )

Decision

Conclusively, Social Darwinism is a popular societal development theory in 19 century. The theory itself did non incorporate any political place and it has of all time been linked with political relations. Influenced by the theories of Social Darwinism, many autochthonal Australians were treated cruel and populations of autochthonal Australians were reduced really much. Today, autochthonal Australians portion equal rights with other racial people in malice of being of racial favoritism. It is wished that the universe could extinguish the racial favoritism in future and every individual could be treated every bit.

Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New