Francis Galton, an English socio-political writer, was best known for his adherence to which ideology?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Galton promoted Social Darwinism, a position that applied biological ideas about heredity and competition to human societies and public policy.

1. Relevant knowledge points and concepts
- Natural selection: Charles Darwin’s biological theory explaining how traits that confer reproductive advantage become more common in populations.
- Social Darwinism: A sociopolitical ideology that extrapolates “survival of the fittest” to human societies, arguing that social hierarchies and inequalities reflect natural selection and should not be interfered with.
- Eugenics (closely related): The advocacy of improving human populations by selective breeding and other interventions to increase desirable heritable traits. Francis Galton coined the term “eugenics” and promoted policies based on hereditary differences.

2. Complete reasoning process step by step
- Francis Galton was Charles Darwin’s cousin and a statistician and anthropologist who emphasized heredity in human traits.
- He argued intelligence and moral qualities were inherited and proposed social measures (e.g., selective breeding, family studies) to improve the population.
- By advocating that society should recognize and act on hereditary differences, Galton was applying biological concepts to social policy — the essence of Social Darwinism and eugenics.

3. Calculations or intermediate steps
- No numerical calculations are required. The logical intermediate steps: Darwin’s natural selection (scientific theory) -> Galton’s emphasis on inheritance -> policy proposals to encourage “better” heredity = Social Darwinist/eugenic stance.

4. Why the correct answer is correct
- Galton’s public writings and activities explicitly promoted eugenics and the application of hereditary principles to social organization. That is the core of Social Darwinism: using biological heredity to justify social policy. Historical sources consistently describe Galton as a founder of eugenics and a leading Social Darwinist.

5. Why the other options are incorrect
- Laissez-faire economics: Focuses on minimal government in markets; not the central theme of Galton’s work.
- Natural selection: A biological theory by Darwin, not an ideology Galton “adhered to” in the sociopolitical sense. Galton applied it socially but the ideology is Social Darwinism.
- Socialism: Advocates collective ownership and equality—contrary to Galton’s emphasis on hereditary hierarchy and selective improvement.

6. Conclusion
All evidence and reasoning confirm the correct answer is Social Darwinism, which matches the provided answer.

Francis Galton, an English socio-political writer, was best known for his adherence to which ideology? Single choice

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