Herbert Spencer
By William Diaz
Background
Herbert Spencer was born April 27, 1820 and died December 8, 1903. Spencer studied philosophy, anthropology, sociology and psychology in the Victorian era. He was well known for his radical ideas regarding Social Darwinism. His contributions to sociology played a huge role in human history. His radical political views seperate him from the large consensus of other scientists.
Interesting Facts
- Spencer believed and stood by the term Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is where in a society, the strong prosper and the weak die
- He was known for being very radical in this ideology of Darwinism because of how controversial the topic was.
- Spencer based a lot to f his work off the success of Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution. This is where the theory of evolution is brought to sociology
- The quote, "Survival of the Fittest" is emphasised by Spencer's work. For he makes a string argument that there has to be weak parts of a society so the street no can prosper
- His view on Darwinism emphasizes that if you are to succeed and prosper in a society, you have to be strong and adapt and the weak can't hold you back when they fail
- Despite his controversial views on Darwinism, his role in sociology and positivism are far more ethical. He brought founding ideas to sociology
- Structural functionalism was an idea that he emphasized would shape ho people are to contribute to a society and function as a human being. This was a core idea that sociologists founded principles on
- On a personal level, Spencer was an agnostic. Because at the time, evolution conflicted with creationist religious views. Therefore he was condemned by churches from r his work
- His radical views have shaped and helped contribute to libertarian ideology. In that individualism and no interference are key components to a libertarian's ideology.
- The most interesting thing about Spencer was how his ideas could bring a socialist and anarchist, polar opposites together. If you believed in individualism and no central control, an anarchist would find some of his ideology appealing. However the same could go if you were a socialist who believed in if everyone could culturally advance, then their society could at a government level.