Herbert Spencer

Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer (1820–1903) was an English philosopher, sociologist, and prominent figure in the development of evolutionary theory. He is best known for coining the term "survival of the fittest" and applying evolutionary principles to a wide range of disciplines, including ethics, psychology, and politics. His major works include "The Principles of Sociology" and "The Synthetic Philosophy," where he explored the application of natural laws to human society. Spencer's ideas significantly influenced 19th-century thought, though his views on social Darwinism later sparked controversy.

Author's Books:


THE DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS. [Originally published in The Leader, for March 20, 1852. Brief though it is, I place this essay before the rest, partly because with the exception of a similarly-brief essay on "Use and Beauty", it came first in order of time, but chiefly because it came first in order of thought, and struck the keynote of all that was to follow.] In a debate upon the development... more...

i. The Principle of Economy. § 1. Commenting on the seeming incongruity between his father's argumentative powers and his ignorance of formal logic, Tristram Shandy says:—"It was a matter of just wonder with my worthy tutor, and two or three fellows of that learned society, that a man who knew not so much as the names of his tools, should be able to work after that fashion with them."... more...

The Right to Ignore the State. § 1. As a corollary to the proposition that all institutions must be subordinated to the law of equal freedom, we cannot choose but admit the right of the citizen to adopt a condition of voluntary outlawry. If every man has freedom to do all that he wills, provided he infringes not the equal freedom of any other man, then he is free to drop connection with the... more...