Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) PDF

HERBERT SPENCER (1820 – 1903) By Dr. Fred Ahmadu  Herbert Spencer was born in Derby, England on April 27, 1820. His father, William George Spencer had an individualistic and strong mind which greatly influenced the upbringing of his son, Herbert Spencer. He rec...

HERBERT SPENCER (1820 – 1903) By Dr. Fred Ahmadu  Herbert Spencer was born in Derby, England on April 27, 1820. His father, William George Spencer had an individualistic and strong mind which greatly influenced the upbringing of his son, Herbert Spencer. He received Western education in natural sciences including mathematics and biological sciences etc. He worked in various capacities as railway engineer, a draftsman, and a journalist. Herbert Spencer was greatly influenced by the work of Charles Darwin – “the theory of species”. Spencer began to apply the theory not only to the study of man as a biological being, but also the society that man had created through his social existence. His major concern was the understanding of evolutionism in terms of social structures, and institutions, their functions and changes that have occurred overtime like the biological organism.  Spencer was particularly interested in comparing biological organisms with society – that as the organism develops from simple to complex forms, so also does human society develops from simple to complex. He saw society as a super organism since it comprises of individuals who are also organisms.  His Works The most prominent among his works include: “Principles of Biology” published in 1862, “Synthetic Philosophy” published in 1867, “Principles of Psychology” published 1870, and “Principles of Sociology” published in 1876. In 1850 Spencer published Social Statics, a work in which he stressed the importance of individual freedom and the inevitability of human progress.  In Principles of Psychology (1855) Spencer wrote that all organic matter originates in a unified state and that individual characteristics gradually develop through evolution. The evolutionary progression from simple to more complex and diverse states was an important theme in most of Spencer's later works.  His Contributions to Sociology Spencer contributed greatly to the development of 19th century sociology. He was concerned with evolutionism as a universal process. He contended that every human society has undergone the process of change. In comparing society with biological organism, Spencer argued that societies exist with parts like those of the biological organisms, performing their various functions independently and interdependently for their survival and that of the organism, as well as changes that occur overtime. These changes, though, on evolutionary basis affect both the structures as well as their functions. He saw the social institutions such as the family, economy, polity, religion as being comparable to the organs of the body. Consequently, he argued that body organs function independently and interdependently for their survival and existence of the whole, so do societal institutions perform their various functions for their survival and that of the society. He was famous for coining the phrase “survival of the fittest” which indicates Charles Darwin’s theory of species influence over him. He also accepted the Darwinian view that natural selection occurs in the social world. That “fit” people will survive and proliferate while the “unfit” will die out. After Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, Spencer embraced Darwin's theory of natural selection. Spencer was an influential proponent of social Darwinism, an application of Darwin's theory to human societies.  The theory of natural selection holds that only the most well-adapted individuals in a population will survive and reproduce. Because these successful individuals pass on their adaptive advantage to their offspring, the cumulative effect of this process over many generations is the adaptation of the entire population to its environment. Spencer coined the phrase “survival of the fittest” to describe the competition among human individuals and groups. He argued that human progress resulted from the triumph of more advanced individuals and cultures over their inferior competitors. Wealth and power were seen as signs of inherent “fitness,” while poverty was taken as evidence of natural inferiority.  Conclusion From the above, it could be said that Herbert Spencer belonged to the Organic school having compared the society to biological organisms. He was also a structural functionalist having explained the various structures and institutions of the society and the various interdependent functions they