 The introduction of biological evolution into writings on progress enabled a new form of Eurocentrism, one founded on biological racism.  Spencer enlists evolutionary theory to claim that different races of human beings exist and form a clear hierarchy: “The civilized man departs more widely from the general type of the placental mammalia than do the lower human races” (1857, 18). This includes mental characteristics: “Judging from the greater extent and variety of faculty he exhibits, we may infer that the civilized man has also a more complex or heterogenous nervous system than the uncivilized man” (1857, 18).  Spencer's racism is central to his view of humans as a group and of human potential.  Ultimately it calls into question whether he can be said truly to propose an account of progress. 