Definitions for herbert spencer
her·bert spencer

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Spencer, Herbert Spencernoun

   English philosopher and sociologist who applied the theory of natural selection to human societies (1820-1903)

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Herbert Spencer

   Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher, biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and prominent classical liberal political theorist of the Victorian era. Spencer developed an all-embracing conception of evolution as the progressive development of the physical world, biological organisms, the human mind, and human culture and societies. He was "an enthusiastic exponent of evolution" and even "wrote about evolution before Darwin did." As a polymath, he contributed to a wide range of subjects, including ethics, religion, anthropology, economics, political theory, philosophy, biology, sociology, and psychology. During his lifetime he achieved tremendous authority, mainly in English-speaking academia. "The only other English philosopher to have achieved anything like such widespread popularity was Bertrand Russell, and that was in the 20th century." Spencer was "the single most famous European intellectual in the closing decades of the nineteenth century" but his influence declined sharply after 1900; "Who now reads Spencer?" asked Talcott Parsons in 1937. Spencer is best known for coining the expression "survival of the fittest", which he did in Principles of Biology, after reading Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. This term strongly suggests natural selection, yet as Spencer extended evolution into realms of sociology and ethics, he also made use of Lamarckism.

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1. herbert spencer

   Quotes by herbert spencer -- Explore a large variety of famous quotes made by herbert spencer on the Quotes.net website.

Who Was Who?Rate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Herbert Spencer

   A scientist who believed the human race degenerated from monkeys, and established the theory that only the survivors are the fittest.

Biographical Dictionary of FreethinkersRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Herbert Spencer

   English philosopher, born Derby, 1820. He was articled to a civil engineer, but drifted into literature. He wrote in the Westminster Review, and at the house of Dr. Chapman met Mill, Lewes and “George Eliot.” His first important work was Social Statistics, ’51. Four years later appeared his Principles of Psychology, which with First Principles, ’62; Principles of Biology, ’64; Principles of Sociology, ’76–85, and Data of Ethics, ’79, form part of his “Synthetic Philosophy” in which he applies the doctrines of evolution to the phenomena of mind and society no less than to animal life. He has also published Essays, 3 vols, ’58–74; a work on Education ’61; Recent Discussions on Science, Philosophy and Morals, ’71; The Study of Sociology, ’72; Descriptive Sociology, ’72–86, an immense work compiled under his direction. Also papers directed against Socialism; The Coming Slavery, ’84; and Man and the State, ’85, and has contributed many articles to the best reviews.

Matched Categories

1. • Philosopher
   • Sociologist

How to pronounce herbert spencer?

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Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of herbert spencer in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of herbert spencer in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=herbert spencer
2. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=herbert spencer
3. ^ Who Was Who?
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/984/pg984-images.html#:~:text=herbert spencer
4. ^ Biographical Dictionary of Freethinkers
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/34513/pg34513-images.html#:~:text=herbert spencer