Asked by: Kristi Herhaus
Asked in category: technology and computing, artificial intelligence
Last Updated: 20th May 2024

Who thought up the theory of social Darwinism and came up with it?

Herbert Spencer



People often ask who invented social Darwinism.

Herbert Spencer

The question that follows is: How did Social Darwinism become a reality? Social Darwinism is an eclectic group of ideologies that was born in the late 1800s. It uses Charles Darwin's theory about evolution by natural selection to justify certain political and social views.

Who supported social Darwinism then?

Charles Darwin is the name of Social Darwinism, but it is still closely linked to other groups, including Herbert Spencer, Thomas Malthus and Francis Galton (the founder of eugenics). Spencer wasn't actually a social Darwinist until well after his death in the 1930s.

What was the relationship between the theory of social Darwinism and the idea of individualism

The idea of individualism, or survival to the fittest, was strongly supported. Although this theory was rejected by biologists it is still popularly associated with Herbert Spencer. It is believed to have justified the introduction of laissez-faire capitalism and the new ideas about racial superiority and imperialist policies.