Survival of the Fittest and Laissez-Faire CapitalismĪfter Darwin published his theories on biological evolution and natural selection, Herbert Spencer drew further parallels between his economic theories and Darwin’s scientific principles. But to those who followed Spencer and Malthus, Darwin’s theory appeared to be confirming with science what they already believed to be true about human society-that the fit inherited qualities such as industriousness and the ability to accumulate wealth, while the unfit were innately lazy and stupid. Yet in an attempt to convey his scientific ideas to the British public, Darwin borrowed popular concepts, including “survival of the fittest,” from sociologist Herbert Spencer and “struggle for existence” from economist Thomas Malthus, who had earlier written about how human societies evolve over time.ĭarwin rarely commented on the social implications of his theories. Animals and plants that are poorly adapted to their environment will not survive to reproduce.Ĭharles Darwin published his notions on natural selection and the theory of evolution in his influential 1859 book On the Origin of Species.ĭarwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was a scientific theory focused on explaining his observations about biological diversity and why different species of plants and animals look different. According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, only the plants and animals best adapted to their environment will survive to reproduce and transfer their genes to the next generation.
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