Darwin on the poorly-named "Social Darwinism"

Compulsion to help the helpless as central property of human species. July 13, 2014 2. PERVERSIONS OF SCIENCE Yes, vaccination has saved millions whose weaker constitutions would otherwise have let them succumb to smallpox, Darwin wrote. And yes, the weak members of civilized societies propagate their kind, which, to judge from animal breeding, “must be highly injurious to the race of man.” But the aid we feel impelled to give to the helpless is part of our social instincts, Darwin said. “Nor could we check our sympathy, even at the urging of hard reason, without deterioration in the noblest part of our nature,” he wrote. “If we were intentionally to neglect the weak and helpless, it could only be for a contingent benefit, with an overwhelming present evil.” All Excerpts From Wade, Nicholas. “A Troublesome Inheritance.” Penguin Group, USA, 2014-05-06. iBooks. This material may be protected by copyright.