Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer were contemporaries and among the most respected scientists of their era. Darwin's theory of evolution proposed that species change over time by adapting to their environments. This is done through genetic selection and the animals with the strongest genetic adaptations will survive to pass that genetic information on to their offspring. Spencer postulated that human societies evolve in the same way that species of animals do. They begin as simple societies where cooperation can only be maintained by force. Spencer felt that societies would evolve to become more complex as the most skilled and gifted individuals were able to rise to the top. Spencer, not Darwin, coined the phrase "survival of the fittest." As the fittest in society thrive and pass those qualities on to future generations, society will evolve to become more complex. In the complex society, cooperation is voluntary and done with the aim of improving the society. Spencer utilized the principles of Darwin's biological theory and applied it in a social context.
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