Social Darwinism

Survival of the Fittest

the continued existence of organisms that are best adapted to their environment, with the extinction of others, as a concept in the Darwinian theory of evolution

Evolution

the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth

Natural Selection

the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The theory of its action was first fully expounded by Charles Darwin and is now believed to be the main process that brings about evolution

Social Darwinism

the theory that individuals, groups, and peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals. Now largely discredited, social Darwinism was advocated by Herbert Spencer and others in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was used to justify political conservatism, imperialism, and racism and to discourage intervention and reform

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin is best known for his work as a naturalist, developing a theory of evolution to explain biological change.