Explain what Herbert Spencer meant by "survival of the fittest.". What are the criticisms of his approach?
What will be an ideal response?
Spencer believed that societies developed through a process of "struggle" (for
existence) and "fitness" (for survival), which he referred to as the "survival of the
fittest.". Spencer's view of society is known as social Darwinism—the belief that those
species of animals, including human beings, best adapted to their environment will
survive and prosper, whereas those poorly adapted die out. Spencer equated this
process of natural selection with progress, because only the "fittest" members of
society would survive the competition, and the "unfit" would be filtered out of society.
Critics say that he looked at society as the same as a biological system. Also, his idea
of survival of the fittest can be used to justify different kinds of inequalities.
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The sex of a manager generally matters least when he or she adopts a __________________ leadership style
a. autocratic b. authoritarian c. democratic d. transformational e. neo-authoritarian
The text points out that conflict and feminist analysts: a. examine the relationship between family troubles and a decline in other social institutions
b. view functionalist perspectives on the role of the family as realistic and adequate. c. view families as sources of social inequality and struggle over values, goals, and access to resources and power. d. examine the roles of husbands, wives, and children as they act out their own part and react to the actions of others.
Karl Marx condemned the ______’s exploitation of the ______.
A. proletariat; means of production B. proletariat; bourgeoisie C. bourgeoisie; collective conscience D. bourgeoisie; proletariat
If researchers wanted to examine the opinions of people listed in a city directory, they might call every tenth or fiftieth or hundredth name listed. This would constitute a
A. scale. B. control variable. C. random sample. D. quota sample.