The Unity of Law - As Exhibited in the Relations of Physical, Social, Mental and Moral Science

...the crippled, or by the help of those who are deformed, to prevent or even stop that “process of elimination” through which the physically strong and the wealthy are enabled to rid the world of those who are weak, poor, and unable to defend themselves?* Certainly not. Ever since the time of Malthus Thomas Robert Malthus (1766–1834), an economist known for his theory that population growth would outpace food supply, leading to inevitable poverty., this has been the trend of the teachings of the British school of thought. We have now reached the goal toward which they have always been headed—that of self-creation and self-worship. This latter idea becomes increasingly evident as the former idea becomes more firmly established.

With such instructors, what other outcome could we possibly expect? Humanity has traditionally worshipped the Creator of the Universe the human race as the giver of all good things. However, we are now assured that, according to His laws, it is necessary for millions to “regularly die of want”;† that floods, famines, wars, and revolutions are merely parts of the machinery through which He works; and that, in order for His laws to be fully carried out, we must refrain from those very actions which, more than any others, tend to develop the best and highest feelings of the human heart.

• “Among primitive peoples, those who are weak in body or mind are soon eliminated, and those who survive usually show a vigorous state of health. We civilized men, however, do our best to stop this process of elimination. We build asylums for the mentally disabled original: "imbecile", the crippled, and the sick; we establish welfare laws original: "poor-laws"; and our doctors use all their skill to save everyone’s life until the very last moment. There is reason to believe that vaccines have saved thousands who, because of a weak constitution, would have previously died from smallpox. Thus, the weak members of civilized societies continue to reproduce. No one who has studied the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly harmful to the human race. It is surprising how quickly a lack of care, or poorly directed care, leads to the degeneration of a domestic breed; yet, except in the case of humans themselves, hardly anyone is so ignorant as to allow their worst animals to breed.” — Darwin, The Descent of Man, vol. 1, p. 161.

† James Mill James Mill (1773–1836), a Scottish historian, economist, and father of John Stuart Mill.. Elements of Political Economy, p. 42.