The parable of the lambs and the birds of prey is an example of:
A) The Ethics of Resentment
B) Virtues playing out in a fictitious society
C) A story of social Darwinism
D) A code for impersonal, distant moral behavior.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is: C) A story of social Darwinism
Explanation:
The parable of the lambs and the birds of prey is a metaphor often used to illustrate the harsh realities of power, survival, and dominance in society or nature. In this story, the lambs represent the vulnerable, weaker members of society, while the birds of prey symbolize stronger, more aggressive entities that dominate or prey on the weak.
Social Darwinism is a theory that applies Charles Darwin’s ideas of natural selection and survival of the fittest to human societies. It suggests that in social, economic, and political life, competition leads to the survival and dominance of the strongest or most capable individuals or groups, while the weaker are naturally eliminated or suppressed. This view justifies inequality and often rationalizes exploitation or domination as “natural” or “inevitable.”
The parable directly reflects this idea by showing a world where the “strong” (birds of prey) rule over the “weak” (lambs), highlighting the struggle for survival and dominance as a natural law. It implicitly criticizes or draws attention to the consequences of such a social order where empathy, justice, or moral concern for the vulnerable are overridden by brute strength and power dynamics.
- Option A, The Ethics of Resentment, typically refers to a moral stance driven by feelings of bitterness or revenge, which is different from this parable’s focus on power relations.
- Option B, Virtues playing out in a fictitious society, implies a positive exploration of moral qualities, which doesn’t align with the harsh and predatory theme of the lambs and birds of prey.
- Option D, A code for impersonal, distant moral behavior, suggests detached ethics, but the parable is more about the raw struggle for survival than detached morality.
Thus, the parable best exemplifies Social Darwinism, where natural struggle and power determine who thrives and who suffers.