Spencer’s theory of how society works

Herbert Spencer created a social theory based on Darwinism that left a mark on history.

How societies are born, grow and die has been studied for centuries, although this knowledge was often not systematized until the emergence of the first sociologists.

Sociology is a science which, despite its great importance in understanding the functioning and structure of the societies in which we live, has a relatively recent history. In fact, technically speaking, its emergence is considered to be due to authors such as Auguste Comte or the author to whom this article is dedicated, Herbert Spencer.

Spencer was a well-known philosopher of liberal tendencies who is especially known for the integration in the study of societies of some of the main contributions of the theory of evolution, shaping what could now be called social Darwinism. In this article we will see what are the characteristics of Spencer's theory in terms of his way of explaining the functioning of society.

Main elements of Spencer's theory

Although Herbert Spencer's theory was considered controversial in the Victorian era in which he lived, it had an important impact on the social fabric of the time and on the study of societies from a scientific perspective.

The following are some of the main contributions or basic ideas defended by Herbert Spencer's theory, on various aspects of reality, but mainly focused on society. fundamentally centered on society.

Synthetic philosophy

Herbert Spencer's philosophical work is wide-ranging, and is ascribed to a positivist ascribes to a positivist conception of science (in fact it is one of his main (in fact he is one of its main promoters and founders).

In it, the author considers that all scientific concepts are limited by the fact that they are based solely on the experience of the subject, so that their knowledge is based on false premises. To be scientific, it is necessary that a hypothesis or proposition can be verified and experimentally falsified.

He considered it necessary and in fact intended to synthesize (hence the name of his philosophy) and unify scientific knowledge around the laws of nature.the main and most fundamental of which is the law of evolution.

Organic theory of society

One of the main theories defended by Herbert Spencer and that although secondary (and later rejected by the same author in later works) is useful to better understand his thought is that of the organic analogy.

This theory proposes that society has a structure and functioning analogous and identical to that of a living being.In fact, initially the author himself goes so far as to indicate that a society is an organism in itself.

In this sense, we find that, like any animal or living being, societies are born, grow, reproduce and die, in addition to increasing their complexity and becoming more and more complex. They are also organized on the basis of a structure that will become more complex according to the level of evolution of the organism, and will have different systems in charge of different functions.

Also also need some kind of management apparatus, which would be the nervous system in animals and governments in societies.which would be the nervous system in animals and governments in societies. There is also a distributive apparatus (circulatory system and/or means of communication), and a basic maintenance apparatus (food and industry respectively).

However, the fact that there is a clear similarity does not mean that societies and living beings are identical: the living being seeks the benefit of the totality of its being and is the only one that has conscience and decision on its acts, while society is partial and not always unitary and each of its members tends to seek its own benefit, not that of the totality.

It also indicates the existence of two types of societies, the military and the industrialized, as a reflection of an evolutionary process in which one passes from the former to the latter as the complexity of the system increases.

What is evolution? Spencer's theory of evolution

Another of Spencer's contributions that establishes the beginning of his link with evolutionary ideas is to be found in his theory of evolution, which establishes the existence of regulatory mechanisms in populations that allow them to be that allow them to be variable, evolve and differentiate.

In this theory, the author considers in the Law of Progress that we can consider progress as that process of differentiation, independent of voluntary control, which directs evolution.

On the basis of the conceptions of physics of the time, the author comes to the conclusion that evolution is a continuous process which requires motion and is defined as "change from incoherent homogeneity to coherent homogeneity, accompanying the dissipation of motion and the integration of matter".

Social Darwinism

Probably the best known and most important aspect of Herbert Spencer's theory is what is called social Darwinism, in which he integrates the main contributions of Darwin and Lamarck to the study of human populations and their functioning. and their functioning.

This concept is established as an attempt to naturalize the social, which is by extension a product of the evolution of the species and conforms to its own rules and norms. In fact, his theory implements the theory of evolution in a large part of the disciplines and fields existing in society.

One of the most controversial aspects of his theory, social Darwinism establishes an analogy between societies and organisms on the basis of the law of the survival of the fittest. the law of the survival of the fittestthe law of natural selection.

If we apply this principle to the birth, evolution and death of societies, we find that for the author the most capable societies must impose themselves on those that are less capable in order to maintain their continued progress. This principle also applies to social classes: the richer are more capable than the poorer, so that they have a higher survival rate.

In this sense, the theory was used to justify the dominance of some peoples over others and the emergence of racist attitudes. the emergence of racist attitudesIn this sense, the theory was used to justify the dominance of some peoples over others and the emergence of racist attitudes, or even of war and imperialism, as it was understood that the survival of the fittest allows society to maintain and evolve.

Individualism

Another of the best known aspects of Herbert Spencer's theory is his defense of individualism and liberalism. The philosopher and sociologist considers it necessary to limit the power of the rulers and to empower the individual and autonomous development of each member of society. and promote the individual and autonomous development of each member of society.

The author considered that societies should be governed according to the laws of nature, being preferable a minimum intervention by the Administration in the life of individuals, including aspects such as education. He considered that progress arose from the adaptation of free citizens to a fluid and changing society.

However, Spencer also enunciated what would come to be called the doctrine of freedomaccording to which individual freedom ends where the freedom of others begins.

The psychology of adaptation

Another aspect worked on by Spencer is the so-called psychology of adaptation. Again on the basis of the idea of evolution, the author establishes the possibility of to know the human mind by analyzing the way in which it has developed, based on the way in which the nervous system and the brain have formed and evolved.The way in which the nervous system and the brain have been formed and evolved.

In this sense, Spencer was influenced by the current of phrenology, considering that it was possible to establish the existence of certain characteristics from the shape of our nervous system and skull.

Herbert Spencer considered that the psyche developed on the basis of a process by which different ideas and thoughts were connected to each other. different ideas and thoughts were connected to each other until they reflected what was happening in the environment..

In this sense, the author established that our brain acts mainly on the basis of association, and that interpersonal or interspecies differences are found only in terms of the number of associations. It would therefore be a precursor of the study of psychology in which ideas similar to those of behaviorism can be observed.

Education

Spencer's theory is also known for its position on education, influenced to a great extent by his political position and his way of looking at society.

Spencer believed that the way classrooms were organized, a homogeneous set of minds and thoughts were formed, which hindered progress. and thoughts that hindered progress and development, arising from the encounter of different ways of thinking.

The author considered that formal education was perhaps unnecessary as long as society evolves according to the laws, a product of the need to move from uncivilized to civilized, and that it needs to evolve constantly in order to face social changes.

Likewise, considered that science should replace many other elements of the school curriculum, including languages.including languages. In his eyes, the education and training provided at the time lagged behind social changes, and incorporated little useful knowledge. However, he did observe that changes were gradually taking place that brought the educational process closer and closer to natural development.