Of contemporary thinkers, the one who most influenced Prus and other writers of the Polish "Positivist" period (roughly 1864–1900) was Herbert Spencer, the English sociologist who coined the phrase, "survival of the fittest."
Dintre ganditorii contemporani, cel care l-a influentat cel mai mult, atat pe Prus , cat si pe ceilalti scriitori polonezi ai perioadei pozitiviste (aproximativ 1864-1900), a fost Herbert Spencer, sociologul englez, care a inventat fraza : "Supravietuieste cele care se adapteaza cel mai bine".