ABSTRACT
An appropriation of the evolutionary principles outlined in Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859), Social Darwinism was first propounded by Herbert Spencer (1820-1903). Spencer’s theories in fact pre-date the publication of Darwin’s own text; he first drew on contemporary science as a means of justifying his hypotheses, and later used Darwin’s work in order to validate the authority of his own. Spencer’s project aimed to integrate different disciplines (e.g. the then developing discipline of sociology, and the methods and theories of the physical sciences) within an evolutionary account of human society. Thus, whereas Darwin’s model of evolution is concerned with physical fact (the realm of nature), Spencer’s conception of evolution may be characterised by way of its claim to be a science of society.
