Herbert Spencer

Life and Times  (1820-1903)

I. THE PERSON


   A. BORN APRIL 27, 1820

      DURING THE HEART OF BRITISH INDUSTRIALISM

      EDUCATED AT HOME - SICKLY

      (ALL 8 BROS & SISTERS DIED)

      TRAINED MOSTLY IN MATH AND NATURAL SCIENCE; A LITTLE IN HISTORY, ENGLISH,
      LANGUAGES ETC.

      WENT TO WORK ON RAILROAD AS ENGINEER


   B. PUBLISHED EARLIER ARTICLES IN RADICAL PRESS -
        MOSTLY CONCERNING THE LIMITED ROLE OF GOV'T, 
        E.G. NO POOR LAWS, NO  NATIONAL EDUCATION, NO ESTABLISHED CHURCH, NO                 RESTRICTIONS ON COMMERCE, NO FACTORY LEGISLATION

   C. SUBEDITOR OF ECONOMIST

      MET A LOT OF FAMOUS PEOPLE, THOMAS
      HUXLEY, GEORGE ELIOT (MARY ANN EVANS)

      WROTE "THE DEVELOPMENTAL HYPOTHESIS"
      1852, 7 YEARS BEFORE DARWIN'S ORIGIN OF SPECIES

      THIS WAS A THEORY OF EVOLUTION,
      STRESSING INHERITANCE OF ACQUIRED CHARACTERISTICS

   D. LOOKED AS IF HE WOULD MARRY GEORGE
      ELIOT, BUT DIDN'T DIED

      PUBLISHED SOCIAL STATICS IN 1851, WELL RECEIVED

      PUBLISHED THE PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGY
      1854, NOT WELL RECEIVED

   SUFFERED NERVOUS ILLNESS
   WONDERED ABOUT LONDON, NEVER COMPLETELY RECOVERED

   COULD ONLY WORK A FEW HOURS A DAY

   SUFFERED FROM INSOMNIA - USED FAIRLY HEAVY DOSES OF OPIUM

EVOLUTION - 
   HIS VIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPENDS ON THIS VIEW

      THREE BASIC LAWS OF EVOLUTION

   1. THE LAW OF THE PERSISTENCE OF FORCE,
      WHICH MEANS THE EXISTENCE AND
      PERSISTENCE OF SOME ULTIMATE CAUSE WHICH
      TRANSCENDS KNOWLEDGE


   2. THE LAW OF THE INDESTRUCTIBILITY OF MATTER

   3. THE LAW OF THE CONTINUITY OF MOTION,
      WHICH MEANS THAT ENERGY PASSES FROM ONE
      FORM TO ANOTHER BUT ALWAYS PERSISTS.

      SECONDARY PROPOSITIONS:

      A. TRANSFORMATION OR EQUIVALENCE OF FORCES

      B. THE TENDENCY OF EVERYTHING TO MOVE
         ALONG THE LINES OF LEAST RESISTANCE
         AND GREATEST ATTRACTION

      C. THE PRINCIPLE OF THE ALTERATION OF RHYTHM OF MOTION


"EVOLUTION IS AN INTEGRATION OF MATTER AND
CONCOMITANT DISSIPATION OF MOTION; DURING WHICH
MATTER PASSES FROM AN INDEFINITE, INCOHERENT
HOMOGENEITY TO A DEFINITE, COHERENT
HETEROGENEITY; AND DURING WHICH THE RETAINED
MOTION UNDERGOES A PARALLEL TRANSFORMATION."


   A. HOMOGENEOUS IS INHERENTLY UNSTABLE

   B. MULTIPLICATION - INSTABILITY GIVES RISE
      TO DIFFERENTIATION AND HETEROGENEITY

   C. PRINCIPLES OF SEGREGATION -
      HETEROGENEITY AS PROGRESS

IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIC ANALOGY

   1. SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SOCIETY AND
      ORGANISM:

      A. BOTH GROW DURING THE GREATER PART OF
         THEIR EXISTENCE - BABY TO ADULT, TOWN
         TO CITY

      B. BOTH BECOME INCREASINGLY COMPLEX

      C. PROGRESSIVE DIFFERENTIATION OF
         STRUCTURE IS ACCOMPANIED BY
         PROGRESSIVE DIFFERENTIATION OF
         FUNCTION

   2. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SOCIETY AND AND
      ORGANISM
      
      A. PARTS OF ORGANISM FORM A CONCRETE
         WHOLE; PARTS OF SOCIETY ARE FREE AND
         MORE OR LESS DISPERSED

      B. PARTS OF ORGANISM EXIST FOR THE
         BENEFIT OF THE WHOLE (TAUTOLOGICAL);
         IN SOCIETY THE WHOLE EXISTS MERELY
         FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE INDIVIDUAL

   3. SOCIAL STATICS: HE CONTENDS THAT SOCIETY
      IS COMPLETELY DETERMINED BY
      CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIVIDUALS

      IN PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY (LATER) THERE
      ARISES A LIFE DIFFERENT THAT THE
      INDIVIDUALS, BUT IT IS PRODUCED BY
      INDIVIDUALS

METHODOLOGY FOR SOCIOLOGY

   LEARN BY INSPECTION:

      THE RELATIONS OF COEXISTENCE AND
      SEQUENCE IN WHICH SOCIAL PHENOMENA STAND
      TO ONE ANOTHER

      BY COMPARING DIFFERENT SOCIETIES IN
      DIFFERENT STAGES CAN DISCOVER TRAITS OF
      SIZE, STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND HOW THEY
      ARE RELATED TO ONE ANOTHER


NATURE OF SOCIAL EVOLUTION


   1. MOVEMENT FROM SIMPLE TO VARIOUS LEVELS
      OF COMPOUND (COMPLEX) SOCIETIES

      A. SIMPLE - FAMILIES

      B. COMPOUND - FAMILIES ORGANIZED INTO
         CLANS

      C. DOUBLY COMPOUND - CLANS ORGANIZED
         INTO TRIBES

      D. TREBLY COMPOUND - TRIBES INTO NATIONS

         WITH AN INCREASE IN SIZE COMES
         INCREASE IN STRUCTURE, AND
         DIFFERENCES IN POWER, OCCUPATIONS OF
         MEMBERS. ALSO FUNCTIONS ARE
         DIFFERENTIATED


   2. MILITARY TO INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY

      A. MILITARY CHARACTERIZED BY COMPULSORY
         COOPERATION OF MEMBERS

      B. INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY CHARACTERIZED BY
         VOLUNTARY COOPERATION

      C. THE FINAL STAGE, RESOURCES MAY BE
         USED TO PERFECT HUMAN CHARACTER, -
         ETHICAL STATE
BETWEEN GROUPS, CLASSES, SOCIETIES THERE IS
EQUILIBRATION OF ENERGY

THIS TAKES THE FORM OF STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE;
CONFLICT BECOMES HABITUAL ACTIVITY

CONFLICT GIVES RISE TO TWO FEARS:

   A. FEAR OF THE LIVING - LEADING TO
      POLITICAL CONTROL

   B. FEAR OF THE DEAD - LEADING TO RELIGIOUS
      CONTROL

AS A RESULT OF THESES CONTROLS, CONFLICT
BECOMES MILITARISM

MILITARISM ALLOWS FOR COMBINATIONS, ULTIMATELY
ACHIEVING SOCIAL INTEGRATION


SUMMERY

VIEW OF EVOLUTION - CHANGE FROM HOMOGENEOUS,
UNSTABLE CONDITION TO HETEROGENOUS,
INTEGRATED, AND STABLE CONDITION

AS A RESULT OF THIS FOCUS AND USE OF ORGANIC
ANALOGY, SPENCER CONCERNS HIMSELF WITH FOUR
PROCESSES OR MAJOR CONCEPTS

   1. GROWTH

   2. DIFFERENTIATION

   3. INTEGRATION

   4. ADAPTATION


QUESTION:      HOW DO THESE CONCEPTS FIT
               TOGETHER?


   A. EVOLUTIONARY MODEL

      1. MOVEMENT FORM HOMOGENEOUS AND SIMPLE
         TO DIFFERENTIATED AND COMPLEX
         SYSTEMS


      2. WHAT BECOMES DIFFERENTIATED?
         STRUCTURES WHICH DEVELOPE AND PERFORM
         PARTICULAR FUNCTIONS -

         A. REGULATORY

         B. OPERATIVE

         C. DISTRIBUTIVE

         DIFFERENTIATION OCCURS BETWEEN A & B
         FIRST


      3. MOVEMENT THROUGH FOUR STAGES IS ALSO
         MOVEMENT TOWARDS GREATER PEACE AND
         HARMONY

   B. SYSTEM DYNAMICS

      1. INTEGRATION OF MATTER - DISSIPATION
         OF MOTION

      2. STRUCTURING OR INSTITUTIONALIZATION

      3. INSTITUTIONALIZATION AND
         CENTRALIZATION AND DECENTRALIZATION
         OF INSTITUTIONALIZED RELATIONS

         A. INSTITUTIONALIZATION

            1. FORCES CAUSING GROWTH

            2. SEGREGATION & MULTIPLICATION
               OF EFFECTS

            3. UNITS BECOME INTEGRATED

            4. INCREASED ABILITY TO ADAPT TO
               ENVIRONMENT; COHERENT
               HETEROGENEITY
      
         SYSTEM PHASES

         A. DIFFERENTIATION LEADS TO
            CENTRALIZATION LEADS TO DEMAND
            FOR DECENTRALIZATION

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