See also: Spencer

Herbert Spencer (Derby April 27th 1820 - December 8th 1903) was a philosophical and Sociologue English.

Biography

Resulting from a family of radical, it was very early interested by the political questions. This is why it was affiliated with many associations. He became thus member of the Anti-Corn Law League , founded by Richard Cobden. If it were made known as sociologist, it however followed the occupation of engineer of the railroads.

Collaborating in The Economist , it wrote many original works, whose Social Statics (1850), extremely inspired by the Utilitarisme benthamien, has Theory off Population (1852), where it disputed the catastrophism of Thomas Malthus, or its Principles off Psychology (which it began in 1855). Its philosopher's stone consisted of the development of the Principles off Sociology (whose publication was spread out of 1876 to 1897).

All its life, Spencer was an enemy of the Guerre and Impérialisme: this is why he was opposed to the Guerre Spanish-American of 1898 and which he tried to found a Ligue against the aggression .

Its ideas

Known as one of the principal defenders of the theory of the evolution at the XIXe century, its reputation at the time competed with that of Charles Darwin (it is the author of the expression " selection of the more aptes"). He in particular studied his extension to fields like philosophy, psychology and the sociology, of which he is recognized like one of the founders of the discipline. Its theory was incorrectly called subsequently, and, " social Darwinism ". However Spencer remained all its life a disciple of Lamarck: he believed in the heredity of the acquired features. Also called " theory organiciste" because Spencer regarded the company as a living organism or supra an organization, its research aimed at discovering the laws of evolution of the company while being based on those of the species. For him, the company passes in several stages of a primitive stage where all is homogeneous and simple at a worked out stage, characterized by specificity, differentiation, heterogeneity.

Today it is especially known for its political tests, those are in particular quoted by liberal thinkers like Robert Nozick.

The work where it summarizes best its thought entitles the Right to be unaware of the State , published in 1850, traditional formulation of the right to do without the services of the State and, therefore, the right of individual secession which it legitimates when the controlling power misuses its capacity. Spencer is a defender of the minimal State (thus reduced strictly with the maintenance of the internal security and external, as he off explains it as of The Proper Sphere Government in 1842). Like John Locke, it defends the contractualisation of the relations between individuals and State. For him, the Gouvernement is a simple employee that each one is free to revoke, without that making an attempt on the rights of others.

Spencer in addition defends a philosophy of the History according to which the industrial society (open, dynamic, productive, resting on the contract and individual freedom) would supplant the companies of soldiers gradually (warlike, hierarchical, holists, solidified, closed on themselves). With final, the State would become itself an antiquated and obsolete element. One can say that Spencer is a minarchist convinced of the probability of a future anarchist-capitalist.