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Social Darwinists believe in “survival of the fittest”—the idea that certain people become powerful in society because they are innately better. Social Darwinism has been used to justify imperialism, racism, eugenics and social inequality at various times over the past century and a half.
What is the key concept in Darwinism?
It has a genetic basis. Fitness is the end result of the ability to adapt and get selected by nature. Therefore, branching descent (inheritance) and natural selection are the two key concepts of Darwin’s theory of evolution. So, the correct answer is ‘Branching descent and natural selection’.
A much more unfavorable result of Darwinism was Social Darwinism, where the concept of natural selection was applied to the human population to justify racism. This even divided people who belonged to the same religion, though, because Social Darwinism was used to justify imperialism.
What did Spencer mean by his concept of social Darwinism?
Herbert Spencer is famous for his doctrine of social Darwinism, which asserted that the principles of evolution, including natural selection, apply to human societies, social classes, and individuals as well as to biological species developing over geologic time.
What are the basic concepts of evolution?
The three core principles of evolution – variation, heredity, and differential fitness – crystalized in the 1970s, still serve as a conceptual benchmark for the theory of evolution by natural selection.
What did Spencer mean by his concept of Social Darwinism?
What did Spencer mean by his concept of social Darwinism? Spencer wanted to highlight that all aspects of nature were evolutionary, including human nature and social institutions. The idea was that if no one interferes with any outcomes we will eventually become a perfect society.