12.5, "Baptist Clergyman Walter Rauschenbusch Seeks
a Social Christianity" pp. 363-364
We begin this week by looking at a debate between two academics who were largely responsible for creating the modern discipline of Sociology. As we have already become aware, Darwinism inspired thinkers in disciplines far removed from biology. As one might also expect, a person's basic political and social beliefs greatly influenced the "spin" put on the use of Darwin's theories. Conservatives such as Sumner looked upon intervention to protect the unfortunate as ultimately harmful to the species, no matter what the motivation. Liberals like Ward saw intervention as a way to use intelligence to manage and direct the evolution of the human species.
Clicking on Ward's portrait to access his article Sociology and the State. Access must be from a Roger Williams Terminal
The liberal application of Darwinist principles had a profound effect upon the direction that benevolence or organized charity took in the last part of the nineteenth century. One of changes most noted was the growing interest of Protestantism to meet and influence emerging social problems associated with city life. The Social Gospel, as this movement came to be called, put the influence of portions of American churches behind attacks on urban conditions. Walter Rauschenbusch was perhaps the most influential spokesmen for the Social Gospel of his era.
For Wednesday, April 3
Read, in Fink,
8.5, "Jane Addams Explains the Need
for Social Settlements, 1892" pp. 235-237
8.6 "F. W. Taylor Recruits the Ideal Worker with the
Principles of Scientific Management," pp. 237 -239
12.1, "John Dewey Advocates a
Democratic Schoolroom, 1900" pp. 356-358
This class period we will look at three persons whose activities illustrate aspects of social darwinism, both liberal and conservative. Jane Addams was a seminal figure in the emerging profession of social work. Her work an Hull House in Chicago marked one for m of interaction between affluent old family Americans and new immigrant populations. "Doing Good," as far as work with immigrants was concerned, meant affording them opportunities to Americanize as quickly and painlessly as possible. Charity work was one of the few professional areas open to educated women of the late nineteenth century., and we'll read more about this next week. We've already been introduced to F. W. Taylor. It will be interesting to compare the attitudes towards immigrants represented by Taylor and Addams. As you read Taylor think about what the use of dialect in this essay tells us about his attitudes, beyond what the ideas in the essay tells us.
John Dewey was perhaps the most important American Philosopher of his generation, and certainly did more to influence the direction of Public education than any other theorist of that time. Schools, like Settlement Houses, were conceived of as safeguards for democratic principles in a period of rapid social change, and as a primary institution for Americanizing immigrants. One might add that this role is still assigned to them in our time. Understand, as you read, what Dewey means by the idea a "democratic schoolroom".
This short book represents a collection of magazine articles related to the effect of urban conditions on the young. It is good summary of the thinking of Addams and others of her sensitivity. Download this early in the week, and read it throughout. You won't be able to finish it on a Thursday night. Be aware of how important environmentalism is in the thinking of Addams: how the environment shapes character.
8.2, "William Graham Sumner Elaborates the 
