ROGER REPLIES THAT SOCIAL DARWINISTS
SOUND LIKE A BUNCH OF STUCK-UP, UPPER
CLASS VICTORIAN PIGS
DMB:
Roger asks what I mean by "unmoderated Social Darwinism". By
"unmoderated" I mean simply unmodified, unmittigated, unaltered or pure.
I mean Social Darwinism just as it is, without any correctives. There
are many thousands of books about Social Darwinism itself, and even more
opinions about it, but I think its safe to say that it is essentially a
combination of the Protestant idea that wealth = virtue and the
Darwinist idea that winners win through ruthless agression. Its the law
of the jungle applied to economics. And it's conception of the jungle's
law is overly influenced by the Victorian values of Darwin's world. A
lot of people don't realize that savage competition in the workplace was
seen as some kind of natural or "divine" order even before his theory of
biological evolution was formulated. Most folks imagine that these
social theories were based on Darwin's discoveries. But its the other
way around. Darwin's data was filtered through his culture and language,
unconsciously and otherwise. Everyone knows what it was like in those
days, thanks to Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo and others. It was a time
of Kings, colonialism and there was only a tiny middle class. Scrooge is
the ultimate Social Darwinist, as in "Tiny Tim should just die and his
father's poverty is due to his moral laxity". Its not the puny wages he
recieves from Scrooge, oh no, it is GOD that has seen fit to impoverish
the family. (Merry Christmas, by the way.) I think historians refer to
it as "prosperity theology".
ROGER:
If the keys to Social Darwinism involve mistaking wealth for virtue and
supporting aggression and some type of 'prosperity theology' then it does not
fall under my view of Free Enterprise. Free enterprise does involve
evolution, though. Entities (Corporations, entrepeneurs, etc. competing and
collaborating to provide value to other entities.) Those most successful
thrive and grow and prosper, those less successful are absorbed back into the
system. The shop owner can't compete with the place down the street, so she
closes her store and instead becomes a consultant or a beautician or.....
The evolutionary influence is crucial to free enterprise. It drives it and
makes it work. It is the negative face of quality. But it is not Social
Darwinism.....
David, are we on the same page?
Rog
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