Social Darwinism Research Paper
Abstract
Social Darwinism is a name given to a theory that says only the fittest can survive. This idea was credited to Herbert Spencer in the nineteenth century. Social Darwinism is no longer used to describe our society as the role of the government became more prominent and social programs like welfare, Medicare, and Medicaid became necessity. Since the introduction of these programs, our society is no longer based on the idea of survival of the fittest; anyone can get help if needed. If Herbert Spencer were alive today, he would not agree with the way our country has pushed aside social Darwinism by introducing government aid.
Social Darwinism is a name given to a theory credited …show more content…
to Herbert Spencer. He used it to define the country we live in. Social Darwinism is our world’s natural reaction to survival of the fittest within the human sector (Hughes & Kroehler, 2011 pg. 9). According to the idea of social Darwinism, Herbert Spencer claims that the strongest in our society will survive and flourish while the weak will die off (Cahill, 2012). The idea of social Darwinism does not run our country today, and we can attribute that to our government run social programs. The well-known programs, such as welfare, Medicare, and Medicaid, stabilize many people in the lower class, which is at odds with the idea of natural selection within society where the weak to die and the strong thrive.
Social Darwinism does not run today’s society, like Spencer once thought. If we look at the financial trends in America we see that the rich keep acquiring more riches and the extremely poor can only survive with the help of the government. The government run social programs like welfare, Medicare, and Medicaid, are what prove Herbert Spencer’s idea of social Darwinism wrong. Spencer believed that the weak in America will end up dying off. If we consider the poor to be weak, we can conclude that the weak here in America now have the ability to get back up on their feet and have the opportunity to flourish with government assistance.
Often times, when we think of our American society, we think of the life-long rat race we all participate in, so that we can make our way to the “top”.
But the “top” has different meanings to many people. Not all participants in this life long journey can make it to the top on their own. To some, the top may simply mean the ability to provide for themselves and their family. Others may consider the top to be honored with the title of CEO of a national company, making millions of dollars each year. There are others who believe the top is defined by the compassionate heart they acquire and the numerous life experiences they walk out of this life with in order to be exactly what God created them to be. The “top” has a different definition to every participant in this crazy game called life. America has found a way to help those suffering laborers by creating government run social programs many Americans refer to as “welfare”. Welfare came to be in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. These programs were the government’s way of helping the overwhelming number of families and individuals that had little or no income due to the Depression ("Welfare information," 2012 Para. 1). What was formerly known as food stamps is now called SNAP which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Saddler, N.D. Para. 1). This government financial program allows many American families who would regularly not have the means to provide food day by day for themselves and their families …show more content…
on their own. They are lacking the means to fulfill a basic human need. There are many requirements that come into play when dealing with people who may or may not qualify for the government financial assistance SNAP provides. SNAP is only for the purchase of food or any food product for human consumption. It also can be used to buy seeds or plants for use in home gardens to produce food (Saddler, N.D. Para. 7).
Many have heard of the government social programs named Medicare and Medicaid. They were both created when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed amendments to the Social Security Act on July 30, 1965 (Medical news today, N.D. Para. 3). Medicaid is somewhat a health insurance for those with limited resources and low income. Medicaid provides the resources that many health insurances cover, including prenatal care, in and outpatient services, vaccines for children, nurse practitioner services for adults and children, and several other health amenities. Many people have the opportunity to take advantage of the services Medicaid offers. The group of people who qualify for Medicaid is determined by each state’s set guidelines, most states agree that this program is geared toward those with low income and limited medical resources (Medical news today, N.D. Para 3-24). Medicaid is a very useful program for those who cannot afford health insurance but one must apply for Medicaid and fall within one of the twenty five guidelines to be able to qualify for the use of Medicaid (Money-Zine.com, 2004 Para. 4).
Medicare is very similar to Medicaid in the fact that it provides healthcare coverage; however, Medicare was created specifically for the elderly and disabled. There are four main parts to the setup of Medicare: the first and second part deal with hospital and medical insurance, while the third and fourth provide medical flexibility and prescription drugs. Medicare part A is the hospital insurance; it is what pays for all hospital stays and the paid for conveniences that come with the stay including meals, supplies, testing, and a semi private room. Medicare part B is called supplementary medical insurance. It is the part that pays for required physician visits, as well as some home health care and other services for the elderly and disabled. Part A and B are very similar regarding what they provide and cover, but they differ when it comes to cost. Unlike part A, which does not require a monthly premium since payroll taxes cover the costs, part B requires a monthly premium, plus one must meet an annual deductible before the coverage begins. Medicare part C is also known as Medicare Advantage Plans and allows Medicare users to create their own personal plan that is tightly intertwined with their medical needs. The final piece to the four part puzzle is Medicare part D, which was created in 2006 in order to allow Medicare users to be able to receive prescription drugs for a discounted price until they meet their deductible, then their prescription drugs are virtually free. Part D is much like part B when it comes to annual cost, since they both require a monthly premium and deductible (Medical news today, N.D.).
To some, our government does a spectacular job helping those in need; yet, we still have many left homeless and billions of Americans who have no choice but to go to bed hungry. Those who think our government provides all it can for those in need are normally the ones who are not personally impacted by government-run social programs. The opinions that are voiced about the way our government runs programs and affairs regarding the poor, elderly, and disabled are mostly coming from the upper and middle upper classes in America. The lower class Americans do not have the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns due to their lack of education and their absence at the poll booth. Government-run social programs are not a quick way for the poor to become rich without working; they were created so poverty ridden Americans have the opportunity to get by with assistance. Spencer’s view of social Darwinism believed that it was morally incorrect for big business to donate to the poor and less fortunate since the poor were less fit anyway (Cahill, 2012). In today’s society, social Darwinism is not taken so literally considering the large amount of government help many Americans receive.
The real question is this: do Americans that receive government help really need it? Some argue that many on welfare are taking advantage of the government and the tax payer’s money, because they’re too lazy to get a job. Of course, there is a small group of well-off Americans who do take advantage of the programs our government offers. On the other hand, there are Americans who simply use the programs as they are intended, as a short term support mechanism during hard times ("The party of," 2012 Para. 13). Most impoverished American’s wind up there due to lack of education which in turn limits their job opportunities. Social Darwinism claims that the well-off should continue to flourish, while the poor are allowed to die off. The attitude of social Darwinism is no longer the main driving force in America thanks to available government help. Some Americans still feel entitled to many aspects of American life due to their own perspective of their personal “worth”. Everyone’s view of what makes someone worthy is very different, some think it’s the money or the material Items, while others think worth is measured by the type of person you choose to be. Herbert Spencer was a man who thought the rich were the worthy and the poor simply did not deserve to thrive in society.
If Herbert Spencer were alive today, he would most likely be one of the American tax payers who is strongly against government help for the less fortunate.
The government-created social programs that were made to be a safety net for the poor and weak compete against the ideas of social Darwinism. The programs go against the idea of the natural dying off of the less fortunate since they help the needy get back up on their feet. Herbert Spencer would be against the programs, because his view of social Darwinism agrees that natural selection happens in society in order to create only the best. The rich and strong will carry on in society and the poor and weak will eventually die. Spencer would not agree with any government-run social programs, because they end up helping someone and he claims the fortunate (the strong) will rise naturally on their
own.
The idea of social Darwinism was created by Herbert Spencer all the way back in the nineteenth century. According to social Darwinism, the society as a whole would be sure to allow the rich to continue to thrive and let the poor naturally die out. This idea is not as popular in America today since the government has stepped in and helped the lower class with the implementation of government controlled social programs, such as welfare, Medicare, and Medicaid. Since America has created numerous opportunities for the weak to aspire toward success, Herbert Spencer would not be in agreement with the way our country has pushed aside the idea of survival of the fittest. After all, we are only as strong as our weakest link.
References
Cahill, S. (2012, January 30). replicators evolutionary powerhouses. Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/C004367/eh4.shtml
Hughes, M., & Kroehler, C. (2011). Sociology: The Core. (p. 9). McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Medical news today. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/medicare-medicaid/
Money-Zine.com. (2004). Medicaid benefits. Retrieved from http://www.money-zine.com/Financial-Planning/Buying-Insurance/Medicaid-Benefits/
Saddler, M. R. B. (n.d.). Illinois department of human services. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=30357
The party of principle minimum government maximum freedom. (2012, March 18). Retrieved from http://www.lp.org/issues/poverty-and-welfare
Welfare information. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.welfareinfo.org/
Social Darwinism is a name given to a theory that says only the fittest can survive. This idea was credited to Herbert Spencer in the nineteenth century. Social Darwinism is no longer used to describe our society as the role of the government became more prominent and social programs like welfare, Medicare, and Medicaid became necessity. Since the introduction of these programs, our society is no longer based on the idea of survival of the fittest; anyone can get help if needed. If Herbert Spencer were alive today, he would not agree with the way our country has pushed aside social Darwinism by introducing government aid.
Social Darwinism is a name given to a theory credited …show more content…
to Herbert Spencer. He used it to define the country we live in. Social Darwinism is our world’s natural reaction to survival of the fittest within the human sector (Hughes & Kroehler, 2011 pg. 9). According to the idea of social Darwinism, Herbert Spencer claims that the strongest in our society will survive and flourish while the weak will die off (Cahill, 2012). The idea of social Darwinism does not run our country today, and we can attribute that to our government run social programs. The well-known programs, such as welfare, Medicare, and Medicaid, stabilize many people in the lower class, which is at odds with the idea of natural selection within society where the weak to die and the strong thrive.
Social Darwinism does not run today’s society, like Spencer once thought. If we look at the financial trends in America we see that the rich keep acquiring more riches and the extremely poor can only survive with the help of the government. The government run social programs like welfare, Medicare, and Medicaid, are what prove Herbert Spencer’s idea of social Darwinism wrong. Spencer believed that the weak in America will end up dying off. If we consider the poor to be weak, we can conclude that the weak here in America now have the ability to get back up on their feet and have the opportunity to flourish with government assistance.
Often times, when we think of our American society, we think of the life-long rat race we all participate in, so that we can make our way to the “top”.
But the “top” has different meanings to many people. Not all participants in this life long journey can make it to the top on their own. To some, the top may simply mean the ability to provide for themselves and their family. Others may consider the top to be honored with the title of CEO of a national company, making millions of dollars each year. There are others who believe the top is defined by the compassionate heart they acquire and the numerous life experiences they walk out of this life with in order to be exactly what God created them to be. The “top” has a different definition to every participant in this crazy game called life. America has found a way to help those suffering laborers by creating government run social programs many Americans refer to as “welfare”. Welfare came to be in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. These programs were the government’s way of helping the overwhelming number of families and individuals that had little or no income due to the Depression ("Welfare information," 2012 Para. 1). What was formerly known as food stamps is now called SNAP which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Saddler, N.D. Para. 1). This government financial program allows many American families who would regularly not have the means to provide food day by day for themselves and their families …show more content…
on their own. They are lacking the means to fulfill a basic human need. There are many requirements that come into play when dealing with people who may or may not qualify for the government financial assistance SNAP provides. SNAP is only for the purchase of food or any food product for human consumption. It also can be used to buy seeds or plants for use in home gardens to produce food (Saddler, N.D. Para. 7).
Many have heard of the government social programs named Medicare and Medicaid. They were both created when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed amendments to the Social Security Act on July 30, 1965 (Medical news today, N.D. Para. 3). Medicaid is somewhat a health insurance for those with limited resources and low income. Medicaid provides the resources that many health insurances cover, including prenatal care, in and outpatient services, vaccines for children, nurse practitioner services for adults and children, and several other health amenities. Many people have the opportunity to take advantage of the services Medicaid offers. The group of people who qualify for Medicaid is determined by each state’s set guidelines, most states agree that this program is geared toward those with low income and limited medical resources (Medical news today, N.D. Para 3-24). Medicaid is a very useful program for those who cannot afford health insurance but one must apply for Medicaid and fall within one of the twenty five guidelines to be able to qualify for the use of Medicaid (Money-Zine.com, 2004 Para. 4).
Medicare is very similar to Medicaid in the fact that it provides healthcare coverage; however, Medicare was created specifically for the elderly and disabled. There are four main parts to the setup of Medicare: the first and second part deal with hospital and medical insurance, while the third and fourth provide medical flexibility and prescription drugs. Medicare part A is the hospital insurance; it is what pays for all hospital stays and the paid for conveniences that come with the stay including meals, supplies, testing, and a semi private room. Medicare part B is called supplementary medical insurance. It is the part that pays for required physician visits, as well as some home health care and other services for the elderly and disabled. Part A and B are very similar regarding what they provide and cover, but they differ when it comes to cost. Unlike part A, which does not require a monthly premium since payroll taxes cover the costs, part B requires a monthly premium, plus one must meet an annual deductible before the coverage begins. Medicare part C is also known as Medicare Advantage Plans and allows Medicare users to create their own personal plan that is tightly intertwined with their medical needs. The final piece to the four part puzzle is Medicare part D, which was created in 2006 in order to allow Medicare users to be able to receive prescription drugs for a discounted price until they meet their deductible, then their prescription drugs are virtually free. Part D is much like part B when it comes to annual cost, since they both require a monthly premium and deductible (Medical news today, N.D.).
To some, our government does a spectacular job helping those in need; yet, we still have many left homeless and billions of Americans who have no choice but to go to bed hungry. Those who think our government provides all it can for those in need are normally the ones who are not personally impacted by government-run social programs. The opinions that are voiced about the way our government runs programs and affairs regarding the poor, elderly, and disabled are mostly coming from the upper and middle upper classes in America. The lower class Americans do not have the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns due to their lack of education and their absence at the poll booth. Government-run social programs are not a quick way for the poor to become rich without working; they were created so poverty ridden Americans have the opportunity to get by with assistance. Spencer’s view of social Darwinism believed that it was morally incorrect for big business to donate to the poor and less fortunate since the poor were less fit anyway (Cahill, 2012). In today’s society, social Darwinism is not taken so literally considering the large amount of government help many Americans receive.
The real question is this: do Americans that receive government help really need it? Some argue that many on welfare are taking advantage of the government and the tax payer’s money, because they’re too lazy to get a job. Of course, there is a small group of well-off Americans who do take advantage of the programs our government offers. On the other hand, there are Americans who simply use the programs as they are intended, as a short term support mechanism during hard times ("The party of," 2012 Para. 13). Most impoverished American’s wind up there due to lack of education which in turn limits their job opportunities. Social Darwinism claims that the well-off should continue to flourish, while the poor are allowed to die off. The attitude of social Darwinism is no longer the main driving force in America thanks to available government help. Some Americans still feel entitled to many aspects of American life due to their own perspective of their personal “worth”. Everyone’s view of what makes someone worthy is very different, some think it’s the money or the material Items, while others think worth is measured by the type of person you choose to be. Herbert Spencer was a man who thought the rich were the worthy and the poor simply did not deserve to thrive in society.
If Herbert Spencer were alive today, he would most likely be one of the American tax payers who is strongly against government help for the less fortunate.
The government-created social programs that were made to be a safety net for the poor and weak compete against the ideas of social Darwinism. The programs go against the idea of the natural dying off of the less fortunate since they help the needy get back up on their feet. Herbert Spencer would be against the programs, because his view of social Darwinism agrees that natural selection happens in society in order to create only the best. The rich and strong will carry on in society and the poor and weak will eventually die. Spencer would not agree with any government-run social programs, because they end up helping someone and he claims the fortunate (the strong) will rise naturally on their
own.
The idea of social Darwinism was created by Herbert Spencer all the way back in the nineteenth century. According to social Darwinism, the society as a whole would be sure to allow the rich to continue to thrive and let the poor naturally die out. This idea is not as popular in America today since the government has stepped in and helped the lower class with the implementation of government controlled social programs, such as welfare, Medicare, and Medicaid. Since America has created numerous opportunities for the weak to aspire toward success, Herbert Spencer would not be in agreement with the way our country has pushed aside the idea of survival of the fittest. After all, we are only as strong as our weakest link.
References
Cahill, S. (2012, January 30). replicators evolutionary powerhouses. Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/C004367/eh4.shtml
Hughes, M., & Kroehler, C. (2011). Sociology: The Core. (p. 9). McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Medical news today. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/medicare-medicaid/
Money-Zine.com. (2004). Medicaid benefits. Retrieved from http://www.money-zine.com/Financial-Planning/Buying-Insurance/Medicaid-Benefits/
Saddler, M. R. B. (n.d.). Illinois department of human services. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=30357
The party of principle minimum government maximum freedom. (2012, March 18). Retrieved from http://www.lp.org/issues/poverty-and-welfare
Welfare information. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.welfareinfo.org/