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SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1HERBERT SPENCER (1820-1903)

In the late 1800s, Spencer was a major name to deal with. Very influential. He was important in science, business, industry, economics, philosophy, politics. His ideas were very popular in the United States (he came here once [1882] and wasn’t that impressed with us).

Almost everyone who became interested in sociology between 1870s and 1890s in America did so after reading Spencer.

Born in 1820 in an industrial area of England

$ had 8 siblings, all died very young

$ very sick as a child, only went to school 3 months

$ today we would say he was ‘home schooled’

$ by father (who was a school teacher) and uncle

$ never went to college

$ worked on railroad

$ then worked as a editor on the Economist (still there)

$ and began to write articles

$ in 1842, in a magazine called The Nonconformist he published an article called “The Proper Sphere of Government”

$ he argued for extreme restriction of government

$ he expressed the view that society develops best when relations are not interfered with

$ police is only thing government should do

$ no public schools, no aid to poor, no laws about sanitation, health, housing, etc.

$ in 1852 his uncle died and left Herbert money and that, plus sales of his books, meant he never had to work again

$ He wrote many books: Social Statics, Principles of Biology, Principles of Psychology, Principles of Sociology, Principles of Ethics, First Principles, The Man versus the State, Synthetic Philosophy, The Study of Sociology, others

$ Also wrote a 2 volume autobiography

$ even though uneventful life, worried about his health, never married

$ outlived his own fame – he lived to see his ideas attacked and become less popular

What were his ideas?

Called SOCIAL DARWINISM

Because his ideas blended with those of Charles Darwin

“Spencer is,” wrote Darwin, “about a dozen times my superior.”

Evolution is key to both Darwin and Spencer.

SPENCER’S SOCIAL DARWINISM:

1. All social change (evolution) exhibits differentiation and adaptation.

2. The direction of evolution is from the simple to the complex.

3. The evolution of societies occurs in regular and universal stages.

4. Society is an organism. The Organic Analogy. Society was like a living person, they both grow slowly, as they grow they become more complex and the parts become more dependant on each other.

5. Societies and individuals are always engaged in a struggle for existence.

6. In this struggle only the fittest survive. ‘Survival of the Fittest.’ This term is Spencer’s, although many think it was from Darwin.

7. Do not interfere with this struggle.

8. The world is growing progressively better and interference with this process will make the situation worse. Social life must be free from external control, especially from government. Policing is the only proper role for government to protect us from criminals.

9. If there is no external interference people and societies who are fit will survive and reproduce themselves but the unfit will eventually die out, leading to progress. The weak will disappear and only the strong will survive.

10. Our Industrial Society is increasingly based on altruism, friendship, specialization, and recognition of one’s achievements. This is Progress.

Spencer’s ideas were very popular with American businessmen in late 1800s because they insisted that business and the economy should be free to operate without any interference from government. And if these men were on top and successful it meant they survived, they were the fittest.

Our textbook reminds, page 88, that these ideas of Spencer are still popular with some Americans today.

SUMMARY:

KEY IDEAS:

1. Evolution

2. Social Darwinism

3. Study of Sociology

CRITICISMS:

1. Our text, page 88, insists that Social Darwinism is racist and sexist. It implies that if you’re not really successful then you are weak and should disappear. This ignores the powerful effect of racism and sexism which may effect your chances to be successful.

(Your Professor: not to defend Spencer but he doesn’t discuss race or gender.)

2. Spencer’s discussion is more philosophy than sociology.

3. No testing. No scientific research.

4. He ignores unintended and unforseen consequences of government doing so little.

5. If no action is taken, things can get worse fast.

6. The idea of ‘Progress’ is scientifically unsound.

7. His point number 3 says societies change in universal stages. No they don’t. This was among the first anthropological evidence that Spencer is wrong. Stages in societies don’t proceed the same. Things can get mixed up. For example, a society may be advanced in terms of religion (one God, for example) yet have no literacy among its people.

8. Societies are not like a living person. The individual human organism can be explained in terms of biology and physiology but human society can’t.

9. Spencer ignores human emotion and our desire for survival.

10. He assumed we survive or we don’t. Human life and society is more complex than that.

SO, IF WE CAN CRITICIZE HIM WHY SPEND SO MUCH TIME ON SPENCER?

1. His influence. It was so great that even the critics of Social Darwinism were Social Darwinists. More about that later in the course.

2. His book Study of Sociology. Even though it was first published in 1873, it still can be read with profit. Why?

$ He says we need sociology because people often make statements about society based on common sense, guesswork. Often wrong.

$ Chapter 2, ‘Is There a Social Science?’ Some argue that because people are different from each other their can be no science about human behavior. He admits biographical facts about a person are unpredictable, but facts about society and groups can be.

$ But there are difficulties in the social sciences

$ In biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy researchers study something they are not a part of

$ In sociology we study what we are part of and this makes it much more difficult

$ Because we study ourselves, this presents sources of bias that other sciences don’t have

$ Intellectual – we see things from our point of view only

$ Emotions – our emotions can distort our judgments

$ Patriotism – hard to see things apart from our country’s interests

$ Social Class – our class influences how we see the world

$ Politics – our political views affect judgment

$ Religion – our religious beliefs affect judgments

$ We must admit these biases exist and be aware of them to deal with them in our research so we can learn exactly what is happening in our society