Andrew Carnegie's Theory Of Social Darwinism

As a man who lived on both sides of the economic spectrum of his time, Andrew Carnegie saw himself as a man of change and philanthropy. He believed himself to be the one to diminish the theory of Social Darwinism and help other lower class workers go from “rags to riches.” Carnegie recognized the fairness and legitimacy of America’s rising system of social classes, however he wanted to do his part to help those who were struggling because of his past as a lower class man. While Carnegie had good intentions, his actions were not made out to be as helpful as he had planned. The Puck cartoon develops a satirical opinion on Carnegie’s generous donation of a lake to Prinecton. The Puck cartoon makes Carnegie out to be giver of all gifts with his caption, “His gift of a lake to Princeton suggests other deficiencies of nature which

The cartoon focuses on people getting what they want just because they ask for it, while the entire theory of Social Darwinism is being great because you are born great by natural selection. A proponent of Social Darwinism would not find it as humorous that people are getting what they want just because of a simple request. They would find it outrageous that such wild demands were being made without showing any promise or effort in return. In his famous article, “The Gospel of Wealth,” Carnegie focused on how social class and wealth had been revolutionized. Carnegie claims that the clear differences between the rich and the poor were a great step forward in society. “The contrast between the palace of the millionaire and the cottage of the laborer with us to-day measures the change which has come with civilization” (Carnegie, 53). Proponents of Social Darwinism would most definitely agree with Carnegie’s writing over the Puck article because they too would have wanted a clear and definitive difference between those who are great and those who are