How responsible was Charles Darwin for social Darwinism?

Darwin, it is said, had no interest in applying his theory outside of biology. It was other people who illegitimately twisted his theory who are responsible for “Social Darwinism. read more

(1) Short answer: Darwin was not responsible at all. That said, Darwin was sympathetic to it. Be aware that Darwin was not a professorial old fogey academia dogged scientist, cloistered in the depths of his lab. He was from an old money Victorian industrialist bourgeois milieu. Tremendous means. read more

Today it is often claimed that “Social Darwinism—the application of Darwin’s theory to such areas as economics, welfare, and race relations—has nothing to do with Charles Darwin himself. read more

Herbert Spencer, a 19th century philosopher, promoted the idea of Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is an application of the theory of natural selection to social, political, and economic issues. In its simplest form, Social Darwinism follows the mantra of "the strong survive," including human issues. read more