Page 54 - The Social Weapon: Darwinism

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There is no exception to the rule that every organic being natu-
rally increases at so high a rate, that, if not destroyed, the earth
would soon be covered by the progeny of a single pair. Even
slow-breeding man has doubled in twenty-five years, and at this
rate, in less than a thousand years, there would literally not be
standing-room for his progeny. 13

Darwin described the relationship between Malthus's the-
ory and the thesis of natural selection thus:
As more individuals are produced than can possibly survive,
there must in every case be a struggle for existence, either one in-
dividual with another of the same species, or with the individuals
of distinct species, or with the physical conditions of life. It is the
doctrine of Malthus applied with manifold force to the whole an-
imal and vegetable kingdoms. 14
These ideas of Darwin's, which found support in the
twisted thinking of Malthus, possess no scientific value.
Moreover, this cruel perspective maintains that population
planning can be ensured by eliminating the weak and poor, and
preaches that the weak need to be destroyed. Regarding life not
as based on peace, security and understanding, but as a matter
of mere survival necessitating a ruthless struggle, it inflicted the

most terrible catastrophes on societies.

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F From Malthus to a Ruthless World View
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Although Malthus and Darwin's views lacked any scien-
tific foundation, they received wide support. We need to seek
the reason for this in the period in which they both lived, which
was post-Industrial Revolution England. Following the
Industrial Revolution, the British aristocracy feared it would
surrender its status and power to the working class. On the
other hand, they needed a larger, cheap work force. As a result
The Social Weapon: Darwinism