John Fiske was an American philosopher and historian. He was heavily influenced by Herbert Spencer and applied Spencer's concepts of evolution to his own writings on linguistics, philosophy, religion, and history.
John Fiske (philosopher)
"Professor John Fiske flies the evolution kite in America." – Daily Graphic, September 12, 1874.
Fiske late in life.
The John Fiske Monument, Petersham.
Herbert Spencer was an English polymath active as a philosopher, psychologist, biologist, sociologist, and anthropologist. Spencer originated the expression "survival of the fittest", which he coined in Principles of Biology (1864) after reading Charles Darwin's 1859 book On the Origin of Species. The term strongly suggests natural selection, yet Spencer saw evolution as extending into realms of sociology and ethics, so he also supported Lamarckism.
Spencer at the age of 73
As a young man
Tomb, Highgate Cemetery
Portrait of Spencer by John Bagnold Burgess, 1871–72