PSYC 4039 Study Guide - Biological Psychiatry, Social Darwinism, Mein Kampf
Document Summary
This idea took off big in the us and europe but it was ultimately harmful because countries are now ranked according to their pecking order: herbert spencer. British philosopher and one of the first sociologists. He coined the term survival of the fittest and believed that societies evolved through competition and extinction. This concept was used to justify unrestrained economic competition (wealth + power = fitness) and against aid to the unproductive weak and sick members of society. His focus was not on species but rather on higher units like. Problem the rights of the individuals that make up a society countries are insubordinate. It is usually quite rare for individuals to be concerned with this. Individual survival is primarily what matters the most. This is the most basic and elemental unit of selection. Implications of survival of the fittest: we are machines created by genes for the purpose of propagating genes for future generations.
