‘Society needs first of all to be freed from these meddlers—that is, to be let alone. Here we are, then, once more back at the old doctrine—Laissez faire. Let us translate it into blunt English, and it will read, Mind your own business. It is nothing but the doctrine of liberty. Let every man be happy in his own way.’
What do social classes owe to each other? The short answer: nothing. That was the opinion of William Graham Sumner, one of the most famous Social Darwinists in the United States during the 19th century. For Sumner, the idea that social classes owed each other presupposes the idea that social classes were in conflict. To solve this conflict would require state intervention since the state would be needed to ensure that social classes got what they were owed. Being a supporter of laissez-faire economics and individual liberty, Sumner believed society ought to be free from such meddling. Conflicts between social classes were not society’s natural state and natural adjustments would automatically solve any social issues more effectively than state interventions.
Sumner’s What Social Classes Owe to Each Other is a very good introduction to the tenets of libertarianism and classical liberalism. The ideas expounded in this book are still influential to this day.
William Graham Sumner was an American sociologist and economist. He was a major advocate of Social Darwinist theories in the United States.