Herbert Spencer

(noun)

An English philosopher, biologist, and sociologist who was highly influential in proposing economic and political theories based on Darwin's theories of evolution, and who influenced many American thinkers including, most notably, William Graham Sumner.

Related Terms

Examples of Herbert Spencer in the following topics:

  • Spencer and Social Darwinism

    • Herbert Spencer created what he called "sociology," a synthetic philosophy that tried to find a set of rules explaining social behavior.
    • Though Auguste Comte coined the term "sociology," the first book with the term sociology in its title was written in the mid-19th century by the English philosopher Herbert Spencer.
    • This evolutionary process could be found at work, Spencer believed, throughout the cosmos.
    • Herbert Spencer built on Darwin's framework of evolution, extrapolating it to the spheres of ethics and society.
    • This is why Spencer's theories are often called "social Darwinism."

  • The Functionalist Perspective

  • The Functionalist Perspective

    • Prominent functionalist theorists include Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer , Talcott Parsons, Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E.
    • A common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer, presents these parts of society as "organs" that work toward the proper functioning of the "body" as a whole.
    • Herbert Spencer was a prominent functionalist sociologist, who likened the functioning parts of society as organs within a body.

  • Social Darwinism in America

    • Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher, biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and prominent classical liberal political theorist of the Victorian era.
    • Spencer proved to be a popular figure in the 1880s primarily because his application of evolution to areas of human endeavor promoted an optimistic view of the future.
    • Burgess developed theories of social evolution as a result of their exposure to the works of Darwin and Spencer.
    • Andrew Carnegie, who admired Spencer, was the leading philanthropist in the world (1890–1920), and a major critic of imperialism and warfare.

  • The Functionalist Perspective

    • A common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer, presents these parts of society as "organs" that work toward the proper functioning of the "body" as a whole.

  • The Development of Sociology in the U.S.

    • Ward is most often remembered for his criticism of the laissez-faire theories advanced by Herbert Spencer and popular among his contemporaries.
    • Spencer had argued that society would naturally evolve and progress while allowing the survival of the fittest and weeding out the socially unfit.
    • Though originated by Spencer, these ideas were advanced in the United States by William Graham Sumner, an economist and sociologist at Yale.
    • Ward disagreed with Spencer and Sumner and, in contrast to their laissez-faire approach, promoted active intervention.
    • In 1937, Talcott Parsons, the Harvard sociologist and functionalist who almost single-handedly set American sociology's academic curriculum in the mid-20th century, wrote that "Spencer is dead," thereby dismissing not only Spencer but also Spencer's most powerful critic.

  • History of the Welfare State

    • The United Kingdom, as a modern welfare state, started to emerge with the Liberal welfare reforms of 1906–1914 under Liberal Prime Minister Herbert Asquith .
    • Reforms like those instituted by Bismarck in Germany were strongly opposed by conservative thinkers such as the very influential English philosopher and evolutionary theorist Herbert Spencer, who argued that coddling the poor and unfit would simply allow them to reproduce and delay social progress.
    • Ward set out to systematically dismantle Spencer's arguments which he saw as delaying and paralyzing progressive government action.
    • The United Kingdom, as a modern welfare state, started to emerge with the Liberal welfare reforms of 1906–1914 under Liberal Prime Minister Herbert Asquith.

  • The Social Problem

    • Following Darwin's idea of natural selection, English philosopher Herbert Spencer proposed the idea of social Darwinism.
    • This new concept justified the stratification of the wealthy and poor and coined the term "survival of the fittest. " Joining Spencer was Yale University professor William Graham Sumner, whose book What Social Classes Owe to Each Other (which was first published in 1884) argued that assistance to the poor actually weakens their ability to survive in society.

  • Laissez-Faire and the Supreme Court

    • Herbert Spencer's Social Statics."
    • This was a reference to a book in which Spencer advocated a strict laissez-faire economic philosophy.

  • Conclusion: Trends of the Gilded Age

    • Following Darwin's idea of natural selection, English philosopher Herbert Spencer proposed the idea of social Darwinism.
    • This new concept justified the stratification of the wealthy and poor, and it was in this proposal that Spencer coined the term "survival of the fittest."
    • Joining Spencer was Yale University professor William Graham Sumner whose book What Social Classes Owe to Each Other (1884) argued that assistance to the poor actually weakens their ability to survive in society.