In the 21 st century, people’s perception of life has shifted from that of living in harmony to a world in which those with strength in terms of economic or mental strength survive. The reasons for this are in line with the Darwinian theory of natural selection and survival for the fittest. Due to this, struggle and conflict among members of different societies has become inevitable and it has been justified as a way of creating a new world order by various scholars and intellectuals. Social Darwinism, has allowed ways of natural selection to be applied in the modern day world and it has affected the economic and social values of people.
One of the ways that intellectual leaders have used Darwin’s ideas in the society is by encouraging competition. According to Herbert Spencer, for example, competition was necessary since it encouraged hard work and improved the lives of those who did well at it. To him, employing the ideas of the laissez-faire capitalism spurred growth in the economy since the struggle for resources encouraged healthy competition and personal improvement (Bailey, 2015). Those who could not put up with the competition, would suffer economically and they died striving to make ends meet. This, with time, brought about the culture of racism whereby some races felt superior and more entitled than others. It encouraged ideas such as slavery which was seen as a preserve for those who could not adapt to the competitive environment.
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It is also important to note that most leaders, in the contemporary society rely on Darwin’s approach that encouraged human beings to live ethically. This is because the theory, despite stating that only the fittest would survive, brought about the spirit of togetherness to enable people live harmoniously and for long. This only means that human beings will look out for each other, something that has always been encouraged by world leaders in an effort to maintain world peace.
On account of the above points, it would suffice to conclude that Darwin’s theory has been applied by intellectual leaders across the globe. Some have used it to stamp their superiority over other races while others have used it to ensure that the world is a better place to live, harmoniously.
References
Bailey, L. (2015). Neo-Lamarckism and Neo-Darwinism. Diacronia , (2). doi: 10.17684/i2a32en
Packard, A. (2017). The relations between Lamarckism and Darwinism; Neolamarckism. Diacronia , (5). doi: 10.17684/i5a80en
