Question: H​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​ow would you respond to someone who presents you with the arguments proposed by Social Darwinists, OR the stories written by Horatio Alger, OR Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth (choose ONLY ONE of these), to explain the success or failures of individuals in the society?

Expert answer

There are a few things to unpack in this question. First, it is important to understand what Social Darwinism and the stories of Horatio Alger and Andrew Carnegie are. Social Darwinism is an idea that individuals succeed or fail in society based on their own merits, and that the strong will thrive while the weak will perish. This idea was popular in the late 19th century, when many people believed that society was becoming increasingly competitive. The stories of Horatio Alger and Andrew Carnegie are both examples of this idea in action. Alger was a writer who wrote stories about young boys who rose from poverty to become wealthy and successful businessmen. Carnegie was a wealthy industrialist who believed that people could become rich if they worked hard and saved their money. Both of these ideas are based on the idea of survival of the fittest, which is a key component of Social Darwinism.

Now that we have a better understanding of what Social Darwinism is, let's explore how one might respond to someone who presents these ideas as fact. There are a few different ways to approach this. One could argue that Social Darwinism is not an accurate representation of how society works. This would be based on the idea that individuals succeed or fail for many reasons, and not just because of their own merits. For example, some people are born into wealthy families and have access to resources that others do not. Some people are born with physical or mental disabilities that make it harder for them to succeed in life. And some people simply have bad luck. So, while it is true that some people are more successful than others, it is not accurate to say that this is always because they are better or stronger than others.