[OFB Cafe] Beatitudes and Social Darwinism (was Re: Bio Fuels)

[Timothy Butler]

Hi Derek,
>> Civilized society, whatever
>> that does mean, wouldn't work if we start thinking in terms of social
>> Darwinism.
>
> I beg to differ.  imo, Civilization _is_ social Darwinism.  "Getting  
> along"
> has incredible benefits :-)

	Potentially, yes. :-) Like having good conversations on e-lists...

> iirc, Darwin didn't coin the term "survival of
> the fittest",

	I believe you are correct.

> and didn't agree with it, but even he would concede
> that "fittest" doesn't equate to "strongest".  If it was survival of  
> the
> strongest, the world would be populated with Lions & Tigers & Bears,  
> oh my,
> and Mankind would never have developed far enough to invent weapons of
> simple, let alone mass, destruction.

	I suppose it depends on how one defines fittest. In the sense I think  
you are using it, one could possibly argue that being "meek" was part  
of being fit. I was thinking more of classical social Darwinism, of  
the late-19th and early 20th centuries. People far less frightening  
than the obvious folks one might mention came up with some really  
weird conclusions based on it.

	The problem I see with social Darwinism is that if we say the "best  
adapted" survive (and, by extension, should survive), precisely what  
do you do about the less well adapted (leaving well adapted to mean  
any particular thing one might choose)? I think there are surely some  
Darwinistic elements to society -- and in some senses those are  
healthy -- but I think if taken too far...

	-Tim	

---
Timothy R. Butler | "Turning and turning in the widening gyre
tbutler at ofb.biz   |  The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
timothybutler.us  |  Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
uninet.info       |  Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world..."
                                                 -- W. B. Yeats