Sociology Sem 3
HERBERT SPENCER
Born in England- capitalism started in England.
Belonged to the elite section of society- upper class.
Friends were business owners/ capitalists.
Very famous among bourgeoisies
His work is mostly in favour of his friends.
Both Comte and Spencer wanted to establish sociology as an academic discipline. / as a
science.
With this idea, Spencer wrote his first book- Social Statics, highly borrowed the idea of
Comte.
In his first book social statics, he claims that human happiness can be achieved only when
individuals can satisfy their needs and desires without infringing on the right oh others to do
the same.
In the same book of social statics, he presented this idea as the law of ethics and morality.
Evolution of society
Spencer came to emphasise that, evolution is a process of development from an incoherent,
undifferentiated and homogeneous mass to a differentiated and a cohering pattern in which
the functions of structures are well coordinated.
Spencer laid the foundation for structural functionalism school.
From his theory of evolution, two things can be drawn-
He has borrowed these terms from biological and scientific perspective.
Society will evolve eventually from simple society to complex or compound society.
From militant society to industrial society.
Militant society- Militant societies are defined by being structured for offensive and
defensive warfare. he felt that in an earlier stage it was functional in bringing societies
together.
Industrial society- with the emergence of industrial society, warfare ceases to be functional
and serves to impede further.
In this process of evolution, there will be three changes-
1. Moving from simplicity to complexity
2. Indefiniteness to definiteness
3. Unstable/incoherent to regular, coherent, predictable
He also gave the concept of Synthetic philosophy- he proposed for a grand project. Grand
project will unite ethics plus natural science plus social sciences.
Famous concept-
Survival of the fittest from social perspective.
People who are not skilled, talented or hard working or can’t earn money, they won’t survive. Only
those will survive who are earning.
Organismic Analogy-
Had a background in biology- compared society to human body. Human body looks complete. Initial
stages you can differentiate much in society, he calls it as simple society which moves toward
complex society. Just like the human body.
Eg- early primitive society, was based on agriculture. People had a homogeneous society, people
spoke same language, had same cultural practices. People were following practices which were very
similar to each other.
Complex society become extremely heterogeneous.
He said, society also evolves just like human body, from simple to basic.
Evolution of Society
Simple society to compound society.
Militant society to industrial society.
Simple society- constitute single working entities.
Compound society- were based on heterogeneous characteristics, high amount of interdependence
on other societies. Highly civilised societies.
Militant society- simple society are the militant society for spencer. Human relationships are marked
by compulsory cooperation. Highly centralised pattern of authority and social control. Life is marked
by rigorous discipline and a close identity between public and private life.
public and private life- in militant society there is no such distinction or boundaries between public
and private life. Lot of actions are being monitored, whatever occupation you take up is based on
your class or caste identity.
Industrial society- military activity and organisation is in the periphery of society. These societies are
marked by voluntary cooperation. Firm recognition of people’s right- democracy. Economic realm
from political control of the government. Free association and institutions.
Social Darwinism
Survival of the fittest
