The ideas of the English philosopher Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
profoundly shaped Victorian thought regarding evolutionary theory,
the philosophy of science, sociology, and politics. In his day,
Spencer's works ranked alongside those of Darwin and Marx in their
importance to the development of disciplines as wide-ranging as
sociology, anthropology, political theory, philosophy, and
psychology. Yet during his lifetime and certainly in the decades
that followed Spencer has been widely misunderstood. Both lauded
and disparaged as the father of Social Darwinism (it was Spencer
who coined the phrase "survival of the fittest"), and as an
apologist for individualism and unrestrained capitalism, he was, in
fact, none of these; he was instead a subtle and complex thinker.In
his major new intellectual biography of Spencer, Mark Francis uses
archival material and contemporary printed sources to create a
fascinating portrait of a man who attempted to explain modern life
in all its biological, psychological, and sociological forms
through a unique philosophical and scientific system that bridged
the gap between empiricism and metaphysics. Vastly influential in
England and beyond particularly the United States and Asia his
philosophy was, as Francis shows, systematic and rigorous. Despite
the success he found in the realm of ideas, Spencer was an unhappy
man. Francis reveals how Spencer felt permanently crippled by the
Christian values he had absorbed during childhood, and was
incapable of romantic love, as became clear during his relationship
with the novelist George Eliot. Elegantly written, provocative, and
rich in insight, Herbert Spencer and the Invention of Modern Life
is an exceptional work of scholarship that not only dispels the
misinformation surrounding Spencer but also illuminates the broader
cultural and intellectual history of the nineteenth century."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
