Herbert Spencer
Essay Preview: Herbert Spencer
Report this essay
Herbert spencer was originally born in derby England in 1820. Until the age of 13 he was home taught by his father. Moving homes he continued his private studies and education. Being taught mostly math and sciences and was not focused as a formal school or university would he was able to have a much more broad outlook on things, questioning more and seeing things a student might not be able to. Herbert Spencer received a very good education. Having the education he received there were no influencers on his way of thinking other than his family. Although he was very intelligent to most a shocking fact he did not read as much as people would think. Attending London clubs more than going to the library he spoke and asked questions to distinguished scholars at these places. Herbert Spencer Being the British philosopher he was. Is one of the first to apply what happens with animals and natural selection to a society. In ways many believe he was the first sociological functionalist. Emile Durkheim being one of the most known positive theories got some of his ideas actually from reading some of Spencer’s works like the “principles of sociology”
The main argument for Herbert Spencer was that he did not believe in the government he had in the time period he was in. Although we still live in this same government he argued for a more free thinking society where everyone chased their own happiness and dreams as long as it did not infringe on another’s. He mentions that our freedom may not be as we want to believe it is but as a much more regulated freedom by our government, even today we are regulated in some kind of way, perhaps even more so than the 1800s-1900s.
Survival of the fittest was a phrase Spencer coined in his day and often used in evolution whether it was animals or people Bc to him there was not much of a difference between. The theory of evolution ties into this not just because Spencer built this off of Darwin but because of the three main thoughts he had that compared animals to society’s. The first is the regulative system. In animals it would be the heart and central nerve systems, with people and society it’s the government because that is who regulates everything and keeps everything in a state of balance. The second is a sustaining system meaning what keeps us going and alive. For animals that is food, water, etc. for society it’s more geared towards jobs, money, and the economy. Third being the distribution system like animals it would be the veins and Arteries pumping blood right. But with society would be more like vehicles, google, and roads.
One way of explaining Functionalism perspective is the way society works together and become one. Like a car. You have your pistons, the oil, transmission, battery, etc. and all of