Darwin And Adaptation

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Proposed the theory of "Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics" (organisms strive for self-perfection and pass on learned traits).

Herbert Spencer

Founder of "Objective Psychology" and Social Darwinism; coined the phrase "Survival of the Fittest."

Social Darwinism

The belief that society should allow the "unfit" (poor/weak) to fail without help, so the race can improve (Laissez-faire capitalism).

Thomas Malthus

Economist who argued that population grows faster than food supply, leading to Scarcity and a "Struggle for Existence."

Natural Selection

Darwin's mechanical theory where nature "selects" organisms with the best adaptive traits to survive and reproduce.

Vitalism

The Romantic belief that nature has a living "life force" or spirit and strives for self-perfection (opposed the Newtonian machine view).

Francis Galton

Founder of Eugenics; invented correlation statistics and used Twin Studies to research Nature vs. Nurture.

Eugenics

The controversial movement to improve the human race by encouraging the "fit" to breed and sterilizing the "unfit."

Pre-Darwinian Worldview (Newtonian)

The belief that the world is a perfect, static machine created by God, where species are fixed and do not change.

Evolutionary Associationism

Spencer's idea that the brain evolves by forming connections (associations) that mirror the patterns found in the environment.

The "Dead Machine"

The Romantic nickname for the cold, mechanical, static worldview of Newton and Descartes.

Galapagos Finches

Evidence used by Darwin; showed high variability (different beaks) within a species to adapt to specific island environments.

Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

Lamarck's (false) idea that if an animal changes its body (e.g., stretches neck), its baby inherits that change.

Scarcity (Malthus)

The inevitable lack of resources (food) that drives the struggle for existence and competition.

Darwin's Impact on Psychology

By proving humans are evolved animals, he made it acceptable to study the human mind scientifically (like a rat or bird).

"Survival of the Fittest"

Phrase coined by Herbert Spencer (NOT Darwin) to describe the persistence of those best adapted to the environment.

Artificial Selection

The process of breeders choosing traits in animals (dogs/horses), which Darwin used as an analogy for how Nature works.

Objective Psychology

Spencer's approach that shifted focus from Introspection to adaptation, biology, and the environment.

Laissez-faire Capitalism (Spencer)

The economic system supported by Social Darwinism (no government interference or charity).

Twin Studies

Research method pioneered by Galton to determine if intelligence is hereditary (Nature) or learned (Nurture).

Struggle for Existence

The competition for survival caused by Malthus's concept of Scarcity; the engine of Natural Selection.

Correlation

Statistical method invented by Galton to measure how two traits relate to each other (e.g., height and intelligence).

Mechanical Worldview vs. Romantic Worldview

Mechanical = Static/Perfect Clock; Romantic = Living/Striving Tree.

Variation

The key observation Darwin made (finches) that individuals within a species are not identical, which allows selection to happen.