Thanks, and yes, that's an insightful comment. We do tend to defer to those with higher rank as if they had earned that position, when quite often they haven't. It's one of the reasons that so many people look down on the poor - because if you really buy into this dominance hierarchy system then they must somehow deserve that.

And thanks for adding that about Darwin. I believe you are correct. And yet, the Spencer quote endures because it fits so nicely into the beliefs of this social system.