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Herbert Spencer

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Sociological Theory

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Abstract

This chapter will discuss Spencer’s organic analogy, his law of evolution, and his concepts of “structure,” “system,” “function,” and “moving equilibrium.” Furthermore, it will critically reflect on Spencer’s “ill-equipped to compete” and “survival of the fittest” concepts. The study of Spencer’s social Darwinism will prompt us to question whether the state should increase public debt to aid the poor or leave them to fend for themselves, as Spencer advocated. The text will also delve into Kropotkin’s theory of mutual aid as a counter to social Darwinism.

The last section of this chapter is dedicated to methodological individualism, of which Spencer was one of the founders, and to Boudon’s formula that summarizes this methodological paradigm: M = M{m[S(M′)]}

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, Luiss University of Rome, Rome, Roma, Italy

    Alessandro Orsini

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Orsini, A. (2024). Herbert Spencer. In: Sociological Theory. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52539-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52539-1_3

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