Herbert Spencer
Early Background
Origin: Derby, Derbyshire, England
Schooling: Did not attend school because he was sick most of the time. Was homeschooled by his father and a school teacher, then later by his uncle who he went to live with at the age of 13
Socioeconomic Status: Upper-middle class once he became a writer, struggled with money as a teen and young adult
Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer Quote
Derby, Derbyshire, England
Contributions
Herbert Spencer created the saying "survival of the fittest" and applied it to biological evolution years before Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species". He also wrote a number of books that include;
- Social Statics (1850)
- First Principles (1862)
- The Study of Sociology (1873)
- The Principles of Sociology in three volumes (1876-96)
- The Man versus the State (1884)
Extra Info
- Spencer had 8 siblings and all 8 of them died at a young age
- Suffered from chronic insomnia
- Suffered from nervous breakdowns
- Wore earplugs while working to avoid nervous breakdowns and to ignore sounds he didn't want to listen to