... of whom felt that they were selected to succeed. Even though Darwin's theory applied only to biological phenomena, other thinkers drew broader inferences from it. Thus, it was inevitable that these theories would find their way to the social realm. Social Darwinism and its first major prophet, Herbert Spencer introduced the phrased, "survival of the fittest" (Tindall 836). He argued that human society and institutions, like organisms, passed through the process of natural selection, the result being that only the most evolved will survive. Social evolution implied progress and Spencer believed that society naturally evolved for the better. Thus, organized interference with the process of social evolution was a serious mistake. Spencer's views were adapted and modified by the likes of Carnegie who used biological laws to justify the working of the free market. Social Darwinism implied a governmental policy of hands-off; it decried such issues as the regulation of ...

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