Was Herbert Spencer's social Darwinism criticized?
Indeed, my application of evolutionary principles to society, often mischaracterized as 'social Darwinism,' faced considerable criticism. Detractors argued that my emphasis on laissez-faire and the 'survival of the fittest' justified social inequality and discouraged aid to the poor. They failed to grasp that I saw this as a natural, albeit sometimes harsh, mechanism for societal improvement, a process of weeding out the less adapted for the betterment of the whole.
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