Your textbook describes Social Darwinism and places it into a historical context. It also tries to give you a sense of the enormous impact the idea had o

Social Darwinism

Spencer argued that the development of all aspects of the universe is evolutionary, including

human character and social institutions, in accordance with the principle of “survival of the

fittest” (a phrase Spencer coined). It was this emphasis on what came to be called social

Darwinism—applying the theory of evolution to human nature and society—that met with

such enthusiasm in America.

In Spencer’s Utopian view, if the principle of survival of the fittest were allowed to operate

freely, then only the best would survive. Therefore, human perfection was inevitable as long

as no action was taken to interfere with the natural order of things. Individualism and a

laissez-faire economic system were vital, whereas governmental attempts to regulate business

and industry and welfare (even subsidies for education, housing, and the poor) were opposed.

People and organizations were to be left alone to develop themselves and society in their own

ways, just as other living species were left to develop and adapt to their natural

environments. Any assistance from the state would interfere with the natural evolutionary

process.

People, programs, businesses, or institutions that could not adapt were unfit for survival and

should be allowed to perish (to become “extinct”) for the betterment of society as a whole. If

government continued to support poorly functioning enterprises, then these enterprises

would endure, ultimately weakening society and violating the basic law of nature that only

the strongest and most fit shall survive. Again, Spencer’s idea was that by ensuring that only

the best survived, society could eventually achieve perfection.

This message was compatible with America’s individualistic spirit, and the phrases “survival

of the fittest” and “the struggle for existence” quickly became part of the national

consciousness. Railroad tycoon James J. Hill reiterated Spencer’s message: “The fortunes of

railroad companies are determined by the law of the survival of the fittest.” From John D.

Rockefeller: “The growth of a large business is merely a survival of the fittest” (Hill and

Rockefeller as quoted in Hofstadter, 1992, p. 45). Clearly the phrases reflected the American

society of the late nineteenth century; the United States was a living embodiment of Spencer’s

ideas.

This pioneer nation was being settled by hardworking people who believed in free

enterprise, self-sufficiency, and independence from government regulation. And they knew

all about the survival of the fittest from their daily lives. Land was freely available to those

with the courage, cunning, and ability to take it and to make a living from it. The principles of

natural selection were vividly demonstrated in everyday experiences, particularly on the

Western frontier, where survival and success depended on one’s ability to adapt to the

demands of a hostile environment. Those who could not adapt did not survive.

The American historian Frederick Jackson Turner described the survivors in these terms:

That coarseness and strength combined with acuteness and inquisitiveness; that practical,

inventive turn of mind, quick to find expedients; that masterful grasp of material things …

powerful to effect great ends; that restless, nervous energy; that dominant individualism.

(Turner, 1947, p. 235)

U.S. National Library of Medicine

HERBERT SPENCER

The people of the United States were oriented toward the practical, the useful, and the

functional. In its pioneering stages, American psychology mirrored these qualities. For this

reason, the United States was more accepting than other nations of evolutionary theory.

American psychology became a functional psychology because evolution and the functional

spirit were in keeping with Americans’ basic temperament. Spencer’s views were compatible

with the American ethos, and that is why his philosophical system influenced every field of

learning. The famous American preacher Henry Ward Beecher wrote to Spencer: “The