x Preface
privatecharityand tax-fundedwelfareenfeebleWesternsociety.Whatis best is to institutea strict
laissez-fairecapitalistpolicy,cuttingoff tax-fundedwelfareand lettingthe inferiorclassesdie off as
they ought.
The welfare-stateproponentsidentifySpencerandSumneras havingoriginatedthat
cold-heartedprescription,and theythenproclaimthatanyonewhofavorsa reductionin
tax-fundedwelfaremustfavorsucha reduction,on somepsychologicallevel,on the same
bigotedbasisas the one ascribedto Spencerand Sumner.In short,it is said,to resentthe
welfaresystemis to be a socialDarwinist—a right-wingbigotwhosepolicyrecommenda-
tions,if implemented,wouldresultin poorpeopledyingwhentheirliveswouldother-
wisebe saved.SocialDarwinism,then,rationalizedclassism,elitism,and able-ism.Andit
getsworse,add the proponentsof the welfarestate,becausethe evilsof the right-wingers’
socialDarwinistdoctrinego farther.Seekingto continuethe misapplicationof Darwin’s
theoryto the rationalizationof right-wingpolicyproposals,claimthe welfarestatists,the
socialDarwinistsdevelopedthe pseudoscientificideologyof eugenics.Eugenicspro-
claimedthata person’s geneswerewhatprimarilydeterminedhis or her characterand
behavior.As mentalillnesswasascertainedas geneticallyheritable,eugenicistsdeemed
epilepticsandsufferersof bipolardisorderto be defective,just as socialDarwinistshad
stigmatizedthe poor.In turn,socialDarwinistsurgedfor the oppressionof the mentally
ill. Thatis whysocialDarwinistssupportedthe policyof stategovernmentsto mandate
highlyinvasivemedicalproceduresthat sterilizedepilepticsandmanicdepressives,
againsttheirconsent.Moreover,as sexualdimorphismrendersinbornbiologicaldiffer-
encesbetweenmenandwomen,socialDarwinistscitedbiologicaltheoryto rationalize
Victoriangenderroles.Consistentwiththe assumptionsaboutthe inferiorityof the poor
andthe mentallyill, socialDarwinistsjudgedwomento be congenitallybiologically
inferiorto menand worthyof nothingbut dominationby men.
Likewise,the socialDarwinistsnoticedthat,in general,two peopleof different“races”
weremoregeneticallydissimilarthanweretwopeopleof the same“race.” Assuming
Caucasiansto be the mostgeneticallysuperlativerace,socialDarwinistsdecidedto ex-
pandtheirbigotedconclusionsaboutthe poorand the mentallyill to the nonwhiteraces.
Followingin theirstigmatizationof paupersanddepressivesas personstoo weakto
deserveto live,theylikewisestigmatizednonwhitesas weaklingswhooughtto be subju-
gatedor exterminated.Hence,Spencer’s andSumner’s socialDarwinismrationalized
Europeanconquestof indigenouspeoplesin Africa,Asia,andthe Americas.In total,
socialDarwinismmisusedbiologicalscienceto legitimizethe statusquoof white,male,
right-wingcapitalistpatriarchyto engenderclassism,elitism,able-ism,sexism,racism,
colonialism,and fascism.Whentheseconservativeright-wingism’s wereintegratedinto a
singlepoliticalphilosophy,the resultwasNazism.ApplyingsocialDarwinism,the Nazis
decreedJewsto be the congenitallyinferiorraceof underdogs,andthereforesoughtto
squelchthem.Insofaras we accountfor suchconsiderations,say the criticsof laissezfaire,
it followsthatif a free-marketertakeshis ownlatentsocialDarwinistpremisesto their
logicallynecessaryconclusion,the free-marketer’s philosophyleadsto Naziism.Andif
the free-marketerdoesnot go thatfar, addsthe welfareproponent,the fact remainsthat
anyimplementationof the free-marketer’s suggestionfor cuttingwelfarewillresultin
poorpeopleperishing.In short,goesthe welfareproponent’s argument,someonewho
demandsconstraintson tax-fundedwelfarepaymentsis a right-wingbigotat bestand a
Naziat worst.
As an exampleof a partisanof the regulatory-entitlementstatedenouncingfree-mar-
ketersas socialDarwinists,I presenta speechthatBarackObamaprovidedin 2006in a
commencementaddressat KnoxCollege.Then-SenatorObamaannounced: