Law of Nature, Essay Example

The Sociologist Sumner stated about ‘Competition and the law of nature’.  The concept is a widely held US belief that if you work hard are industrious and strive towards specific goal attainment then you will ultimately reap the riches of your endeavours and enterprise. As a result you will be materially better off than those who do not apply this philosophy.  As such you have prospered because of your own individual talents and efforts.  The opposite states that if you have underachieved then this is the result of some personal defect. “Sumner’s chief interest comes from his social Darwinism” (Bannister, 1973)

In general I would agree with Sumner but it a very ‘broad brush statement’.  There will be certain individuals that get a head start by already belonging to wealthy, influential and affluent families. As such there rise to ascendency is an easier route than other more enterprising individuals.  People like Bill Gates the ex CEO of Microsoft are an example of where hard work, innovation and enterprise can lead towards the fulfilment of the American dream  Richard Branson in the UK and the people at Apple Computers all started from humble origins and achieved financial success because of their own individual talents and efforts.

To achieve success still require a certain amount of individual acumen and intelligence; not everybody has this and equally not everybody can acquire this.  This does not mean that you have a personal defect but rather you have a personal disadvantage in a democratic competitive society.  To an extent you need a society that allows the best to excel as this innovates creation and products that the rest of society benefits from. Apple and Microsoft are examples of this.  “For a man who has command of another man’s labour and self-denial for the support of his own existence is a privileged person of the highest species conceivable on earth” (Sumner, 1883).  The law of nature may decide who we are but not necessarily what we might become.

Works Cited

Bannister, R. J. (1973). History of Political Economy. Duke University: Duke University Press.

Sumner, W. G. (1883). What social classes owe to each other . New York: Harper & Bros.