Social Darwinism

Social Darwinism makes sense

in the blackboard jungle, in an

environment ruled largely by

competition. If, in order to survive,

you need to get smarter, you do 

that...if you need to be stronger, 

that's what you do.

Humans that have no mind training

as part of their education are stuck

in that paradigm. Mind training could

be the arts, sports, meditation, yoga,

and many other forms of discipline. 

Training the mind in those ways can

sidestep social darwinism, the 

philosophy of survival. This is because

minds that are disciplined are trained

to see the whole picture and are not

as subject to the reactive, instinctual 

mind. Reactive mind, in a fight-or-flight

mode, limits perceptions to those that

are immediately important, and doesn't

take time to observe the complexity of

a situation. Situations are only threats

or promises in that view. The greatest

warriors know when not to fight.