What is Social Darwinism? Social Darwinism is a sociological hypothesis that gained popularity in the United States in the 19th century. The theory combines Charles Darwin's sentiments on the question of natural selection and several theories invented by Herbert Spencer to justify racism, imperialism, and conservative economic and social policies. Those who believed in this theory asserted that people and communities, like animals or plants, had to compete with each other if they wanted to succeed in life. Proponents used this claim to justify that economically, politically, or socially successful individuals rightfully belonged at the top since they had fought against others and had indeed proven themselves best placed to achieve it (Bannister, 2016). According to them, any political or social intervention destabilizing the existing order would seriously affect the natural order. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay On the other hand, opponents of the theory of Social Darwinism, such as Lester Ward, have argued against proponents' justifications on the status quo issue and proposed an alternative. theory called Telesis, meaning premeditated social evolution. Most social Darwinists have focused their arguments on the role or function of competition in the social or natural world. Lester emphasized the importance of cooperation in the development of social order and provided historical evidence to help him argue that progress in the human world was the result of intelligence as well as cooperative activities, and not from cruel competition. Lester used this rupture to urge political and social leaders to implement measures intentionally aimed at the social betterment of humanity. Social Darwinism and eugenics are among the major pseudoscientific movements that helped shape immigration through the implementation of eugenic ideas. These ideas prevented immigration to certain ethnic groups considered biologically superior by eugenics. These movements greatly influenced immigration to the United States, where reformers, politicians, and local leaders filled with Americanism readily enacted laws restricting immigration to the United States because they deemed them superior and desirable. In a society populated by struggling immigrants, the eugenics and social Darwinism movements were intended to cement the fact that America's future would be inherited only by "native" Americans. These movements were forms of social selection based on Darwin's theory of natural selection. The immigration policies implemented were intended to ensure that only those considered "superior" were allowed to move freely, as they had a better chance of furthering America's development and success. This can be considered a form of selective breeding as posited in Darwin's theory, hence the term Social Darwinism. People described as “social Darwinists” did not describe themselves as such. It was their opponents who criticized their economic and social policies and used the term as a derogatory term to describe their position as wrong. Modern historians have attempted to emphasize the social effect of Darwin's theories. For example, 19th century British rule tended to emphasize the aspect of competition while neglecting altruism and cooperation in the.