Herbert Spencer

About

From Wikipedia

Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher, biologist, anthropologist, and sociologist famous for his hypothesis of social Darwinism whereby superior physical force shapes history. Spencer originated the expression "survival of the fittest", which he coined in Principles of Biology after reading Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. The term strongly suggests natural selection, yet Spencer saw evolution as extending into realms of sociology and ethics, so he also supported Lamarckism.

Published Works

• The principles of psychology.
• Facts and comments.
• Data of ethics.
• I.—THE ORIGIN OF MUSIC
• The principles of biology.
• The principles of psychology, Vol 1 (2nd ed.).
• The principles of psychology, Vol 2 (2nd ed.).
• The principles of biology.
• The factors of organic evolution.
• The principles of biology.
• Progress: Its law and cause.
• The principles of biology /
• II.—THE COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY OF MAN.
• The physiology of laughter.
• The principles of sociology, Vol 1.
• ON THE ORIGIN OF MUSIC
• First principles. / By Herbert Spencer, ..
• The principles of ethics (Vol 1).
• The Proper Sphere of Government
• Education: Intellectual, moral, and physical.
• Illustrations of universal progress: A series of discussions.
• The principles of psychology, Vol II-I.
• Social statics, abridged and revised; together with The man versus the state.
• The social organism.
• Origin of Classes among the “Parasol” Ants
• Facts and Comments
• ULTIMATE RELIGIOUS IDEAS
• Over-legislation.
• Prison-ethics.
• State tampering with money and banks.
• What knowledge is of most worth?
• Intellectual education.
• The origin and function of music.
• The development hypothesis.
• The scope of psychology.
• Results.
• The principles of psychology, Vol II-2.
• The principles of ethics (Vol 2).
• Conduct in general.
• Impending cessation.
• A series of articles.
• Patriotism.
• Re-barbarization.
• Regimentation.
• The law of intelligence.
• Instinct.
• The feelings.
• Happiness as an immediate aim.
• First principle.
• Herbert Spencer and à priori Truths
• Mr. Spencer and Prof. Tait
• Mr. Spencer and Prof. Tait
• Asymmetry and Vitalism
• IX.—CORRESPONDENCE: MR. TYLOR'S REVIEW OF The Principles of Sociology
• V. —REPLIES TO CRITICISIMS ON THE DATA OF ETHICS
• The Principles of Ethics.
• The principles of biology / by Herbert Spencer.
• The principles of biology, by Herbert Spencer.
• First principles, by Herbert Spencer.
• The principles of biology. By Herbert Spencer ...
• The principles of biology, by Herbert Spencer.
• The principles of biology, by Herbert Spencer.
• PREFACE
• RELIGION AND SCIENCE
• ULTIMATE SCIENTIFIC IDEAS
• THE RELATIVITY OF ALL KNOWLEDGE
• THE RECONCILIATION
• LAWS IN GENERAL
• THE LAW OF EVOLUTION
• THE LAW OF EVOLUTION (CONTINUED)
• THE CAUSES OF EVOLUTION
• SPACE, TIME, MATTER, MOTION, AND FORCE
• THE INDESTRUCTIBILITY OF MATTER
• THE CONTINUITY OF MOTION
• THE PERSISTENCE OF FORCE
• THE CORRELATION AND EQUIVALENCE OF FORCES
• THE DIRECTION OF MOTION
• THE RHYTHM OF MOTION
• THE CONDITIONS ESSENTIAL TO EVOLUTION
• THE INSTABILITY OF THE HOMOGENEOUS
• THE MULTIPLICATION OF EFFECTS
• DIFFERENTIATION AND INTEGRATION
• EQUILIBRATION
• SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
• PREFACE
• CONDUCT IN GENERAL
• THE EVOLUTION OF CONDUCT
• GOOD AND BAD CONDUCT
• WAYS OF JUDGING CONDUCT
• THE PHYSICAL VIEW
• THE BIOLOGICAL VIEW
• THE PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEW
• THE SOCIOLOGICAL VIEW
• CRITICISMS AND EXPLANATIONS
• THE RELATIVITY OF PAINS AND PLEASURES
• EGOISM VERSUS ALTRUISM
• ALTRUISM VERSUS EGOISM
• TRIAL AND COMPROMISE
• CONCILIATION
• ABSOLUTE ETHICS AND RELATIVE ETHICS
• THE SCOPE OF ETHICS
• Introduction
• Principal events in Spencer's life
• Bibliographical note
• Editor's note
• Preface
• The New Toryism
• The Coming Slavery
• The Sins of Legislators
• The Great Political Superstition
• Postscript
• Appendix: Spencer's article of 1836 on the Poor Law
• Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
• The nervous system.
• The structure of the nervous system.
• The functions of the nervous system.
• The conditions essential to nervous action.
• Nervous stimulation and nervous discharge.
• Æstho-physiology.
• The scope of psychology.
• The substance of mind.
• The composition of mind.
• The relativity of feelings.
• The relativity of relations between feelings.
• The revivability of feelings.
• The revivability of relations between feelings.
• The associability of feelings.
• The associability of relations between feelings.
• Pleasures and pains.
• Life and mind as correspondence.
• The correspondence as direct and homogeneous.
• The correspondence as direct but heterogeneous.
• The correspondence as extending in space.
• The correspondence as extending in time.
• The correspondence as increasing in speciality.
• The correspondence as increasing in generality.
• The correspondence as increasing in complexity.
• The co-ordination of correspondence.
• The integration of correspondences.
• The correspondences in their totality.
• The nature of intelligence.
• The law of intelligence.
• The growth of intelligence.
• Reflex action.
• Instinct.
• Memory.
• Reason.
• The feelings.
• The will.
• A further interpretation needed.
• The genesis of nerves.
• The genesis of simple nervous systems.
• The genesis of compound nervous systems.
• The genesis of doubly-compound nervous systems.
• Functions as related to these structures.
• Psychical laws as thus interpreted.
• Evidence from normal variations.
• Evidence from abnormal variations.
• Results.
• Part VI. Special analysis.
• Part VII. General analysis.
• Part VIII. Congruities.
• Part IX. Corollaries.
• Essays: Moral, political and aesthetic (new and enlarged ed.).
• The philosophy of style.
• The morals of trade.
• Personal beauty.
• Representative government.
• Railway morals and railway policy.
• Gracefulness.
• Parliamentary reform: The dangers and the safeguards.
• Mill versus Hamilton--The test of truth.
• Conduct in general.
• The evolution of conduct.
• Good and bad conduct.
• Ways of judging conduct.
• The physical view.
• The biological view.
• The psychological view.
• The sociological view.
• Criticisms and explanations.
• The relativity of pains and pleasures.
• Egoism versus altruism.
• Altruism versus egoism.
• Trial and compromise.
• Conciliation.
• Absolute and relative ethics.
• The scope of ethics.
• Moral education.
• Physical education.
• Manners and fashion.
• The genesis of science.
• The nebular hypothesis.
• Bain on the emotions and the will.
• Illogical geology.
• Use and beauty.
• The sources of architectural types.
• The use of anthropomorphism.
• Limitation of the subject.
• Compound quantitative reasoning.
• Compound quantitative reasoning, continued.
• Imperfect and simple quantitative reasoning.
• Quantitative reasoning in general.
• Perfect qualitative reasoning.
• Imperfect qualitative reasoning.
• Reasoning in general.
• Classification, naming, and recognition.
• The perception of special objects.
• The perception of body as presenting dynamical, statico-dynamical and statical attributes.
• The perception of body as presenting statico-dynamical and statical attributes.
• The perception of body as presenting statical attributes.
• The perception of space.
• The perception of time.
• The perception of motion.
• The perception of resistance.
• Perception in general.
• The relations of similarity and dissimilarity.
• The relations of cointension and non-cointension.
• The relations of coextension and non-coextension.
• The relations of coexistence and non-coexistence.
• The relations of connature and non-connature.
• The relations of likeness and unlikeness.
• The relation of sequence.
• Consciousness in general.
• Results.
• The final question.
• The assumption of metaphysicians.
• The words of metaphysicians.
• The reasonings of metaphysicians.
• Negative justification of realism.
• The argument from priority.
• The argument from simplicity.
• The argument from distinctness.
• A criterion wanted.
• Propositions qualitatively distinguished.
• The universal postulate.
• The test of relative validity.
• Its corollaries.
• Positive justification of realism.
• The dynamics of consciousness.
• Partial differentiation of subject and object.
• Completed differentiation of subject and object.
• Developed conception of the object.
• Developed conception of the object.
• Transfigured realism.
• Special psychology.
• Classification.
• Development of conceptions.
• Language of the emotions.
• Sociality and sympathy.
• Egoistic sentiments.
• Ego-altruistic sentiments.
• Altruistic sentiments.
• Æsthetic sentiments.
• The nervous system.
• The structure of the nervous system.
• The functions of the nervous system.
• The conditions essential to nervous action.
• Nervous stimulation and nervous discharge.
• Æstho-physiology.
• The substance of mind.
• The composition of mind.
• The relativity of feelings.
• The relativity of relations between feelings.
• The revivability of feelings.
• The revivability of relations between feelings.
• The associability of feelings.
• The associability of relations between feelings.
• Pleasures and pains.
• Life and mind as correspondence.
• The correspondence as direct and homogeneous.
• The correspondence as direct but heterogeneous.
• The correspondence as extending in space.
• The correspondence as extending in time.
• The correspondence as increasing in speciality.
• The correspondence as increasing in generality.
• The correspondence as increasing in complexity.
• The co-ordination of correspondences.
• The integration of correspondences.
• The correspondences in their totality.
• The nature of intelligence.
• The law of intelligence.
• The growth of intelligence.
• Reflex action.
• Instinct.
• Memory.
• Reason.
• The feelings.
• The will.
• A further interpretation needed.
• The genesis of nerves.
• The genesis of simple nervous systems.
• The genesis of compound nervous systems.
• The genesis of doubly-compound nervous systems.
• Functions as related to these structures.
• Psychical laws as thus interpreted.
• Evidence from normal variations.
• Evidence from abnormal variations.
• The final question.
• The assumption of metaphysicians.
• The words of metaphysicians.
• The reasonings of metaphysicians.
• Negative justification of realism.
• The argument from priority.
• The argument from simplicity.
• The argument from distinctness.
• A criterion wanted.
• Propositions qualitatively distinguished.
• The universal postulate.
• The test of relative validity.
• Its corollaries.
• Positive justification of realism.
• The dynamics of consciousness.
• Partial differentiation of subject and object.
• Completed differentiation of subject and object.
• Developed conception of the object.
• Transfigured realism.
• Preliminary.
• Co-ordination of data and inductions.
• Co-ordination of syntheses.
• Co-ordination of special analyses.
• Co-ordination of general analyses.
• Final comparison.
• Special psychology.
• Classification.
• Development of conceptions.
• Language of the emotions.
• Sociality and sympathy.
• Egoistic sentiments.
• Ego-altruistic sentiments.
• Altruistic sentiments.
• Æsthetic sentiments.
• First principles (Amer. ed.).
• Religion and science.
• Ultimate religious ideas.
• Ultimate scientific ideas.
• The relativity of all knowledge.
• The reconciliation.
• Philosophy defined.
• The data of philosophy.
• Space, time, matter, motion, and force.
• The indestructibility of matter.
• The continuity of motion.
• The persistence of force.
• The persistence of relations among forces.
• The transformation and equivalence of forces.
• The direction of motion.
• The rhythm of motion.
• Recapitulation, criticism, and recommencement.
• Evolution and dissolution.
• Simple and compound evolution.
• The law of evolution.
• The law of evolution continued [1].
• The law of evolution continued [2].
• The law of evolution concluded.
• The interpretation of evolution.
• The instability of the homogeneous.
• The multiplication of effects.
• Segregation.
• Equilibration.
• Dissolution.
• Summary and conclusion.
• Limitation of the subject.
• Compound quantitative reasoning.
• Compound quantitative reasoning continued.
• Imperfect and simple quantitative reasoning.
• Quantitative reasoning in general.
• Perfect qualitative reasoning.
• Imperfect qualitative reasoning.
• Reasoning in general.
• Classification, naming, and recognition.
• The perception of special objects.
• The perception of body as presenting dynamical, statico dynamical and statical attributes.
• The perception of body as presenting statico-dynamical and statical attributes.
• The perception of body as presenting statical attributes.
• The perception of space.
• The perception of time.
• The perception of motion.
• The perception of resistance.
• Perception in general.
• The relations of similarity and dissimilarity.
• The relations of cointension and non-cointension.
• The relations of coextension and non-coextension.
• The relations of coexistence and non-coexistence.
• The relations of connature and non-connature.
• The relations of likeness and unlikeness.
• The relation of sequence.
• Consciousness in general.
• Results.
• Animal-ethics.
• Sub-human justice.
• Human justice.
• The sentiment of justice.
• The idea of justice.
• The formula of justice.
• The authority of this formula.
• Its corollaries.
• The right to physical integrity.
• The rights to free motion and locomotion.
• The rights to the uses of natural media.
• The right of property.
• The right of incorporeal property.
• The rights of gift and bequest.
• The rights of free exchange and free contract.
• The right of free industry.
• The rights of free belief and worship.
• The rights of free speech and publication.
• A retrospect with an addition.
• The rights of women.
• The rights of children.
• Political rights--So-called.
• The nature of the State.
• The constitution of the state.
• The duties of the state.
• The limits of state-duties.
• The limits of state-duties--Continued.
• The limits of state-duties--Continued.
• The limits of state-duties--Concluded.
• Kinds of altruism.
• Restraints on free competition.
• Restraints on free contract.
• Restraints of undeserved payments.
• Restraints on displays of ability.
• Restraints on blame.
• Restraints on praise.
• The ultimate sanctions.
• Marital beneficence.
• Parental beneficence.
• Filial beneficence.
• Aiding the sick and the injured.
• Succour to the ill-used and the endangered.
• Pecuniary aid to relatives and friends.
• Social beneficence.
• Political beneficence.
• Beneficence at large.
• The evolution of conduct.
• Good and bad conduct.
• Ways of judging conduct.
• The physical view.
• The biological view.
• The psychological view.
• The sociological view.
• Criticisms and explanations.
• The relativity of pains and pleasures.
• Egoism versus altruism.
• Altruism versus egoism.
• Trial and compromise.
• Conciliation.
• Absolute ethics and relative ethics.
• The scope of ethics.
• The confusion of ethical thought.
• What ideas and sentiments are ethical?
• Aggression.
• Robbery.
• Revenge.
• Justice.
• Generosity.
• Humanity.
• Veracity.
• Obedience.
• Industry.
• Temperance.
• Chastity.
• Summary of inductions.
• Introductory.
• Activity.
• Rest.
• Nutrition.
• Stimulation.
• Culture.
• Amusements.
• Marriage.
• Parenthood.
• General conclusions.
• System of philosophy projected.
• Plans for executing it.
• A plan fixed upon.
• Writing First principles.
• An autumn's relaxations.
• A volume of the Biology.
• A digression.
• Another volume of the Biology.
• Sad events.
• Recasting First principles.
• An imprudence and its consequences.
• A tour in Italy.
• Developing the Psychology.
• Finishing the Psychology.
• An extra book.
• Some minor incidents.
• The Descriptive sociology.
• A retrospective glance.
• Vol. I. of the Sociology.
• The Data of ethics.
• Ceremonial institutions.
• Up the Nile.
• Ending of the Descriptive sociology.
• Political institutions.
• A grievous mistake.
• Coming events.
• A visit to America.
• Conclusion.
• Reflections written four years later.
• The bookselling-question.
• An element in method.
• Professor Cairnes's criticisms.
• Views concerning copyright.
• A rejoinder to Mr. McLennan.
• Prof. Tait on the formula of evolution.
• Ability versus information.
• Book-distribution.
• M. de Laveleye's error.
• Government by minority.
• Evolutionary ethics.
• Social evolution and social duty.
• Parliamentary Georgites.
• A record of legislation.
• Anglo-American arbitration.
• Against the metric system.
• The "net-price" system of bookselling.
• What is social evolution.
• The land question.
• The metric system again.
• Publishing on commission.
• A state-burden on authors.
• The South-African war.
• An inhumanity.
• Childhood.
• Boyhood.
• A journey and a flight.
• Youth at Hinton.
• A false start.
• Commence engineering.
• Life at Worcester.
• Some months at Powick.
• A nomadic period.
• Return to Derby.
• A visit and its consequences.
• Back at home.
• A campaign in London.
• At home again.
• A brief sub-editorship.
• A parliamentary survey.
• An interval in town.
• Another parliamentary survey.
• Inventions.
• Suspense.
• Begin journalism.
• My first book.
• An idle year.
• A more active year.
• Leave The Economist.
• Two months' holiday.
• Writing for quarterly reviews.
• My second book.
• Eighteen months lost.
• Some significant essays.
• A business problem.
• Some regrets.
• A few Americanisms.
• Presence of mind.
• The corruption of music.
• Feeling versus intellect.
• The purpose of art.
• Some questions.
• The origin of music.
• Developed music.
• Estimates of men.
• State education.
• The closing hours.
• Style.
• Style continued.
• Meyerbeer.
• The pursuit of prettiness.
• Some light on use-inheritance.
• Party government.
• Exaggerations and mis-statements.
• Imperialism and slavery.
• Weather forecasts.
• The regressive multiplication of causes.
• Sanitation in theory and practice.
• Gymnastics.
• Euthanasia.
• The reform of company-law.
• Some musical heresies.
• Distinguished dissenters.
• Barbaric art.
• Vaccination.
• Perverted history.
• What should the sceptic say to believers?
• Ultimate questions?
• A problem.
• Spontaneous reform.
• Grammar.
• A datum wanted.
• The universal postulate.
• Its corollaries.
• Our present position.
• Compound quantitative reasoning.
• Compound quantitative reasoning (continued).
• Imperfect and simple quantitative reasoning.
• Quantitative reasoning in general.
• Perfect qualitative reasoning.
• Imperfect qualitative reasoning.
• Reasoning in general.
• Classification, naming, and recognition.
• The perception of special objects.
• The perception of body as presenting dynamical, statico-dynamical, and statical attributes.
• The perception of body as presenting statico-dynamical and statical attributes.
• The perception of body as presenting statical attributes.
• The perception of space.
• The perception of time.
• The perception of motion.
• The perception of resistance.
• Perception in general.
• The relations of similarity and dissimilarity.
• The relations of cointension and non-cointension.
• The relations of coextension and non-coextension.
• The relations of coexistence and non-coexistence.
• The relations of connature and non-connature.
• The relations of likeness and unlikeness.
• The relation of sequence.
• Consciousness in general.
• Results.
• Method.
• Proximate definition of life.
• The correspondence between life and its circumstances.
• The degree of life varies as the degree of correspondence.
• The correspondence as direct and homogeneous.
• The correspondence as direct but heterogeneous.
• The correspondence as extending in space.
• The correspondence as extending in time.
• The correspondence as increasing in speciality.
• The correspondence as increasing in generality.
• The correspondence as increasing in complexity.
• The co-ordination of correspondences.
• The integration of correspondences.
• The correspondences in their totality.
• The nature of intelligence.
• The growth of intelligence.
• Reflex action.
• Memory.
• Reason.
• The will.
• Unguided expediency.
• The moral-sense doctrine.
• What is morality?
• The evanescence [?diminution] of evil.
• Greatest happiness must be sought indirectly.
• Derivation of a first principle.
• Secondary derivation of a first principle.
• Application of this first principle.
• The right of property.
• Socialism.
• The right of property in ideas.
• The rights of women.
• The rights of children.
• Political rights.
• The constitution of the state.
• The duty of the state.
• The limit of state-duty.
• The regulation of commerce.
• Religious establishments.
• Poor-laws.
• National education.
• Government colonization.
• Sanitary supervision.
• Currency, postal arrangements, etc.
• General considerations.
• The new Toryism.
• The coming slavery.
• The sins of legislators.
• The great political superstition.
• Postscript.
• Super-organic evolution.
• The factors of social phenomena.
• Original external factors.
• Original internal factors.
• The primitive man—Physical.
• The primitive man—Emotional.
• The primitive man—Intellectual.
• Primitive ideas.
• The ideas of the animate and the inanimate.
• The ideas of sleep and dreams.
• The ideas of swoon, apoplexy, catalepsy, ecstasy, and other forms of insensibility.
• The ideas of death and resurrection.
• The ideas of souls, ghosts, spirits, demons.
• The ideas of another life.
• The ideas of another world.
• The ideas of supernatural agents.
• Supernatural agents as causing epilepsy and convulsive actions, delirium and insanity, disease and death.
• Inspiration, divination, exorcism, and sorcery.
• Sacred places, temples, and altars; Sacrifice, fasting, and propitiation; Praise, prayer.
• Ancestor-worship in general.
• Idol-worship and fetich-worship.
• Animal-worship.
• Plant-worship.
• Nature-worship.
• Deities.
• The primitive theory of things.
• The scope of sociology.
• What is a society?
• A society is an organism.
• Social growth.
• Social structures.
• Social functions.
• Systems of organs.
• The sustaining system.
• The distributing system.
• The regulating system.
• Social types and constitutions.
• Social metamorphoses.
• Qualifications and summary.
• The maintenance of species.
• The diverse interests of the species, of the parents and of the offspring.
• Primitive relations of the sexes.
• Exogamy and endogamy.
• Promiscuity.
• Polyandry.
• Polygyny.
• Monogamy.
• The family.
• The status of women.
• The status of children.
• Domestic retrospect and prospect.
• The principles of psychology, Vol 1 (authorized [4th] ed.).
• Part I.—The data of psychology.
• Part II.—The inductions of psychology.
• Part III.—General synthesis.
• Part IV.—Special synthesis.
• Part V.—Physical synthesis.
• Where are the Nebulæ?
• The Survival of the Fittest
• Prof. Tait and Mr. Spencer
• Necessary Truths—Physical and other
• The Inheritance of Acquired Characters
• Panmixia
• The Antiquity of the Medical Profession
• The Nomenclature of Colours
• The Duke of Argyll and Mr. Herbert Spencer
• Prof. Meldola's Explanation
• Genesis of the Vertebrate Column
• The Tendency of Trades Unions
• IX.—CORRESPONDENCE
• I.—OUR SPACE-CONSCIOUSNESS: A REPLY
• HERBERT SPENCER: PSYCHOLOGY
• Recent discussions in science, philosophy, and morals
• ZWEITES KAPITEL. Wegbereiter der Soziologie im 19. Jahrhundert
• A Plea for Liberty.
• Principles of Ethics: Justice
• Justice: Being Part IV of the Principles of Ethics.
• Negative Beneficence and Positive Beneficence.
• The Principles of Ethics.
• Facts and Comments.
• Education
• The Comparative Psychology of Man
• Philosophy and Pseudo-Philosophy
• A Letter from Mr. Herbert Spencer
• Land and labor in the United States, by Wm. Godwin Moody.
• Illustrations of universal progress : a series of discussions by Herbert Spencer ; with a notice of spencer's "New system of philosophy".
• The principles of biology / by Herbert Spencer.
• Recent discussions in science, philosophy, and morals.
• The principles of biology / by Herbert Spencer.
• Illustrations of universal progress : a series of discussions / by Herbert Spencer ; with a notice of Spencer's "New system of philosophy."
• The principles of biology / by Herbert Spencer.
• The principles of biology.

Other Resources

• en.wikipedia.org

Schools

Royal College of Art

College in Kensington and Chelsea, UK

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