Fifty Shades of Goldberg: 8. SOCIAL DARWINISM

Am I the only one left still reading this piece of crap?

I've been away for a while, but Goldberg has made it worth my time. Not only is Chapter Eight ostensibly about evo-pysch, but he also mentions Nazis in the second sentence. Wow.

This is the chapter where Goldberg defends the libertarian ideas folks often criticize as "Social Darwinism" on the grounds that "Social Darwinism" is something of a misnomer:

Not only was there no self-declared school of Social Darwinists among academics and intellectuals, the alleged benefactor had little to no interest in the subject whatsoever.

No shit, professor? It's almost as if "Social Darwinism" is a derogatory term critics use to deride a set of beliefs. I mean, Harvard doesn't have a Department of Racism (at least in name), but that doesn't exactly mean that shit hasn't gone down in Cambridge.

As someone with a doctorate in biology and an undergraduate degree in the history of science-- THIS-- CHAPTER-- WOW.

When you think about it, the idea that businessmen were inspired by a then novel biological theory should not have even passed the smell test.

I agree with Goldberg, in that I don't think a lot of businessmen were sitting around reading Darwin when they suddenly realized that oppressing the populace was a profitable endeavor. Also, I'm pretty sure they didn't talk about the war much at Yale turn-of-the-century industrialists (and their critics) were aware of Darwin.

No, being aware of Darwin is not the same as understanding the theory of evolution by natural selection. Science never operates in a vacuum, nor does industry. Chicago has a whole Museum of Science and Industry thing going on. (It has a boat-- BUILT BY NAZIS!) If there's one period where science, industry, and popular culture hung out together, it was the industrial revolution. You'd have to be a pretty shitty student to argue that the whole "burning coal (with science!) will set us free" thing wasn't one of the big memes of the time.*

Goldberg ostensibly wrote this chapter because libruls are constantly "cheating in the war of ideas" by yelling down perfectly good philosophies of wealth with cries of "Social Darwinism." He feels the same way about people critics derided as "robber barons."

Obviously, Goldberg chooses the steel industry as proof that libertarianism is awesome. Andrew Carnegie was poor before he was rich, and then he built a bunch of libraries (TRUE FACTS!). Henry Clay Frick was rich, and then he had a bunch of people killed (INCONVENIENT TRUTH!). During Carnegie's time, the Monongahela Valley was literally paradise on earth (especially Homestead) (NOT ENTIRELY TRUE!).

Blah blah blah whatever. The important thing to remember is that Milton Friedman won a Nobel Prize because Darwin is a liar. Or something.

Oh! Jonah Goldberg also really hates the University of Wisconsin, because NEWSFLASH! back in the day "progressivism" often involved eugenics. IN YOUR FACE, [CHARLES] VAN HISE HALL! Seriously, why do I have to walk through a classroom to get to the Math Library? Who does that shit? Liberal Fascists, that's who.

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*Industrialist Ryan Gosling says coal dust might stain his lungs, but you'll never stain his heart.