One of the more fascinating experiences of my doctoral studies at Columbia University was delving into the writings of Richard Hofstadter in Shelia Kamerman’s policy class, particularly his 1944 book: Social Darwinism in American Thought which I found to be eye opening.
The concept was new but seemed plausible: some Americans embraced Charles Darwin’s theories of natural selection to explain the existence of what appeared to be an intractable underclass. Therefore, arriving at the conclusion that expending resources to prop up this hopeless group of derelicts would be a disservice to the whole of society. Better to let them wither and die. The problem with this idea is who decides who belongs is the category of the hopeless. Are children born useless?
[For more of this story, written by Charles E. Lewis Jr., go to http://www.socialjusticesoluti...will-poor-always-us/]
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