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Explaining the universe: Herbert Spencer's attempt to synthesize political and evolutionary ideas
1Department of History, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia.
Endeavour
|October 3, 1999
Abstract:
Herbert Spencer's evolutionary ideas related not just to the biological world but to the universe and everything in it. Human societies were also viewed through his evolutionary lens so that Spencer's evolutionary and political ideas are inextricably entwined. This essay looks at some of Spencer's ideas and attempts to locate them in the social and intellectual context of his youth. It also speculates on the rise and fall of Spencer's reputation.