Final answer:
Herbert Spencer coined the term 'survival of the fittest' and used it to describe societal evolution in a concept known as social Darwinism, which was later discredited.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term survival of the fittest—misattributed to Charles Darwin—was actually coined by the British philosopher and social theorist Herbert Spencer.
Spencer applied this concept to societies in a framework called social Darwinism. This view proposed that societal progress occurred in a competitive environment where the strong—meaning those with beneficial traits such as intelligence and inherited wealth—flourish, and the weak get left behind, supposedly exemplifying 'natural selection' within human cultures.
However, this misinterpretation of Darwinian theory was soon utilized to justify imperialism, classism, and racism, by suggesting that European powers were inherently superior due to natural evolutionary progress.
Despite its initial popularity among those who rose to affluence, social Darwinism was criticized for its flawed logic and ethical implications, and it fell into disrepute in the early 20th century, particularly as it intersected with eugenics.