Herbert Spencer Biography

Occup.Philosopher
FromEngland
BornApril 27, 1820
Derby, England
DiedDecember 8, 1903
Brighton, England
CauseHeart Failure
Aged83 years
Herbert Spencer was born on April 27, 1820, in Derby, England, and also died on December 8, 1903. He was an English thinker, biologist, anthropologist, and also social theorist who added substantially to the advancement of the social scientific researches in the 19th century.

Spencer was the eldest of 9 kids in a rigorous, nonconformist household. His daddy, William George Spencer, was a school educator and also nurturer of extreme political ideas. Consequently, Spencer was immersed in an environment of intellectual curiosity as well as frustration with traditional religious and also political conviction.

Spencer's education and learning and also specialist life were noted by nonconformity and self-direction. He got most of his education and learning in your home, finding out maths, natural sciences, and also human events from his father and various other members of the Derby Philosophical Society. He later functioned briefly as a railway designer and also as a math teacher in London. Spencer's burglarize intellectual circles came in the late 1840s when he ended up being the editor of the libertarian publication "The Economic expert".

Nevertheless, Spencer's passion in social theory got prominence upon meeting social reformer and also thinker John Stuart Mill. Mill introduced Spencer to the teachings of utilitarianism as well as political economic climate, which influenced Spencer's subsequent transformative concepts.

In the early 1850s, Spencer started to elaborate on his theories. He said that cultures advance in a similar way to living organisms, translating Charles Darwin's concepts of organic evolution in social and social contexts. Spencer notoriously created the term "survival of the fittest", which Darwin later took on in his own job. Today, "Social Darwinism" is usually related to Spencer's theories, although he rejected being a proponent of the Darwinian development theory.

Spencer's most substantial work, "The Artificial Viewpoint", is a multi-volume collection released between 1862 as well as 1893. The job details his attempt to create a meaningful as well as unified body of expertise, incorporating insights from the all-natural and social scientific researches. In it, he outlined his evolutionary principles past biology, applying them to psychology, values, as well as sociology.

Regardless of his wide-ranging intellectual searches, Spencer was a relatively reclusive number. He spent much of his job in seclusion, working together with other pundits mostly through correspondence. Among his noteworthy colleagues as well as contributors were biologist Thomas Henry Huxley, mathematician Ada Lovelace, economic expert David Ricardo, and political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville.

Spencer's work was highly questionable during his life time, triggering warmed discussions among academic thinkers and also theologians. Nevertheless, his ideas acquired enormous popularity in the late 19th century as well as were significant in the advancement of the areas of sociology, psychology, and also education.

Before the surge of the contemporary well-being state, Spencer was a champ of uniqueness as well as laissez-faire economics. He thought that the state's role should be decreased to allow individuals to prosper as well as develop according to all-natural legislations. Although his influence decreased in the 20th century, several contemporary libertarians still debt Spencer as an essential predecessor of their movement.

Herbert Spencer passed away at the age of 83 in Brighton, England. Regardless of his retreat from the intellectual mainstream, he left an enduring mark on the development of modern-day culture's understanding of uniqueness, evolution, and also the connection between the state and the individual.

Our collection contains 37 quotes who is written / told by Herbert, under the main topic Marriage.

Related authors: C. Wright Mills (Sociologist), John Stuart Mill (Philosopher), Charles Darwin (Scientist), Alexis de Tocqueville (Historian), David Ricardo (Economist), Philo (Philosopher), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q: Herbert Spencer: theory sociology
    A: His sociological theory emphasizes evolutionary progress and the adaptation of societies over time.
  • Q: What is Herbert Spencer known for
    A: He is known for developing evolutionary theory in the context of sociology and for coining 'survival of the fittest.'
  • Q: Herbert Spencer major works
    A: His major works include 'The Principles of Sociology' and 'The Synthetic Philosophy' series.
  • Q: Herbert Spencer Social Darwinism
    A: He applied Darwin's biological ideas to society, advocating that competition and natural selection drive social progress.
  • Q: Herbert Spencer theory of evolution
    A: Spencer's theory of evolution extends Darwinian principles to all aspects of life, including society and culture.
  • Q: Herbert Spencer survival of the fittest
    A: He coined the term 'survival of the fittest' to describe how societies evolve and adapt over time.
  • Q: Herbert Spencer theory
    A: He is best known for his theory of social evolution, likening society to a biological organism.
  • Q: Herbert Spencer contribution to sociology
    A: He introduced the concept of evolutionary sociology and applied natural selection principles to societal development.
  • Q: How old was Herbert Spencer?
    A: He became 83 years old
Herbert Spencer Famous Works:
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37 Famous quotes by Herbert Spencer

Small: Civilization is a progress from an indefinite, incoherent homogeneity toward a definite, coherent heter
"Civilization is a progress from an indefinite, incoherent homogeneity toward a definite, coherent heterogeneity"
Small: How often misused words generate misleading thoughts
"How often misused words generate misleading thoughts"
Small: Hero-worship is strongest where there is least regard for human freedom
"Hero-worship is strongest where there is least regard for human freedom"
Small: We do not commonly see in a tax a diminution of freedom, and yet it clearly is one
"We do not commonly see in a tax a diminution of freedom, and yet it clearly is one"
Small: The wise man must remember that while he is a descendant of the past, he is a parent of the future
"The wise man must remember that while he is a descendant of the past, he is a parent of the future"
Small: A living thing is distinguished from a dead thing by the multiplicity of the changes at any moment taki
"A living thing is distinguished from a dead thing by the multiplicity of the changes at any moment taking place in it"
Small: A jury is composed of twelve men of average ignorance
"A jury is composed of twelve men of average ignorance"
Small: A jury is a group of twelve people of average ignorance
"A jury is a group of twelve people of average ignorance"
Small: Life is the continuous adjustment of internal relations to external relations
"Life is the continuous adjustment of internal relations to external relations"
Small: Science is organized knowledge
"Science is organized knowledge"
Small: Our lives are universally shortened by our ignorance
"Our lives are universally shortened by our ignorance"
Small: Opinion is ultimately determined by the feelings, and not by the intellect
"Opinion is ultimately determined by the feelings, and not by the intellect"
Small: Old forms of government finally grow so oppressive that they must be thrown off even at the risk of rei
"Old forms of government finally grow so oppressive that they must be thrown off even at the risk of reigns of terror"
Small: Objects we ardently pursue bring little happiness when gained most of our pleasures come from unexpecte
"Objects we ardently pursue bring little happiness when gained; most of our pleasures come from unexpected sources"
Small: People are beginning to see that the first requisite to success in life is to be a good animal
"People are beginning to see that the first requisite to success in life is to be a good animal"
Small: In science the important thing is to modify and change ones ideas as science advances
"In science the important thing is to modify and change one's ideas as science advances"
Small: When a mans knowledge is not in order, the more of it he has the greater will be his confusion
"When a man's knowledge is not in order, the more of it he has the greater will be his confusion"
Small: The great aim of education is not knowledge but action
"The great aim of education is not knowledge but action"
Small: The fact disclosed by a survey of the past that majorities have been wrong must not blind us to the com
"The fact disclosed by a survey of the past that majorities have been wrong must not blind us to the complementary fact that majorities have usually not been entirely wrong"
Small: The behavior of men to the lower animals, and their behavior to each other, bear a constant relationshi
"The behavior of men to the lower animals, and their behavior to each other, bear a constant relationship"
Small: Society exists for the benefit of its members, not the members for the benefit of society
"Society exists for the benefit of its members, not the members for the benefit of society"
Small: No one can be perfectly free till all are free no one can be perfectly moral till all are moral no one
"No one can be perfectly free till all are free; no one can be perfectly moral till all are moral; no one can be perfectly happy till all are happy"
Small: Music must take rank as the highest of the fine arts - as the one which, more than any other, ministers
"Music must take rank as the highest of the fine arts - as the one which, more than any other, ministers to the human spirit"
Small: Marriage: A word which should be pronounced mirage
"Marriage: A word which should be pronounced "mirage""
Small: Marriage: a ceremony in which rings are put on the finger of the lady and through the nose of the gentl
"Marriage: a ceremony in which rings are put on the finger of the lady and through the nose of the gentleman"
Small: Love is lifes end, but never ending. Love is lifes wealth, never spent, but ever spending. Loves lifes
"Love is life's end, but never ending. Love is life's wealth, never spent, but ever spending. Love's life's reward, rewarded in rewarding"
Small: The more specific idea of Evolution now reached is - a change from an indefinite, incoherent homogeneit
"The more specific idea of Evolution now reached is - a change from an indefinite, incoherent homogeneity to a definite, coherent heterogeneity, accompanying the dissipation of motion and integration of matter"
Small: The Republican form of government is the highest form of government: but because of this it requires th
"The Republican form of government is the highest form of government: but because of this it requires the highest type of human nature, a type nowhere at present existing"
Small: Volumes might be written upon the impiety of the pious
"Volumes might be written upon the impiety of the pious"
Small: The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools
"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools"
Small: Government is essentially immoral
"Government is essentially immoral"
Small: Every cause produces more than one effect
"Every cause produces more than one effect"
Small: Education has for its object the formation of character
"Education has for its object the formation of character"
Small: Divine right of kings means the divine right of anyone who can get uppermost
"Divine right of kings means the divine right of anyone who can get uppermost"
Small: Be bold, be bold, and everywhere be bold
"Be bold, be bold, and everywhere be bold"
Small: An argument fatal to the communist theory, is suggested by the fact, that a desire for property is one
"An argument fatal to the communist theory, is suggested by the fact, that a desire for property is one of the elements of our nature"
Small: All socialism involves slavery
"All socialism involves slavery"