Herbert Spencer and social DARWINISM – summary

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) is considered one of the main proponents of social Darwinism in the 19th century, he being the promoter of the idea that the principles of evolution and natural selection applied to human society. At unTEACHER.com we tell you how Spencer developed the Social Darwinism theory.

Herbert Spencer He was a British-born philosopher, sociologist, and biologist who made notable contributions to a large number of fields of science, from biology to ethics and sociology. Science, the survival of the fittest and social Darwinism are some of the aspects that define the thought of this thinker who is also considered the first philosopher in history due to the popularity of his plays.

In this lesson of unPROFESOR.com we talk about the figure of Herbert Spencer and Social Darwinism.

In the thought of Spencer have a great influence of the research work and the theories of Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and those of the French naturalist Jean Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829). Spencer became a strong supporter of Darwin's theory of evolution and extended these ideas to the study of society and culture.

According to Spencer, the social darwinism It is a philosophy based on application of Charles Darwin's ideas on evolution biology of the human being to human society. Thus, this 19th-century philosopher, sociologist, and biologist helped popularize the laws of biological evolution, especially Darwin's theory of natural selection, and applied those laws to the development of history social.

In his opinion, Spencer argued that human societies evolved in a way similar to species in nature. In a society, the strongest and fittest people and groups are the ones that should survive, while the weakest should disappear and the governments should intervene as little as possible since natural selection itself would determine who would succeed and who would fail in society.

In addition, Spencer carried out an impressive philosophical work, being known as the "Modern Aristotle" for the breadth of his intellectual work and his ability to reflect and write about numerous and various subjects, from anthropology to sociology, naturalism, philosophy or psychology.

Here we tell you How life arose according to Darwin.