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Herbert Spencer was regarded by the Victorians as the foremost
philosopher of the age, the prophet of evolution at a time when the
idea had gripped the popular imagination. His ambition was to
construct a "Synthetic Philosophy" which unified all knowledge by
demonstrating evolution to be at work throughout the universe from
the nebulae to human society. In so doing he made important
contributions to biology, psychology, sociology, and philosophy,
and his writ ran from the intellectual elite - Darwin called him
"our great philosopher" - through the professional classes to the
working men whom Beatrice Webb once overheard discussing his ideas
on a train. Until recently Spencer's posthumous reputation rested
almost exclusively on his social and political thought, which has
itself frequently been subject to serious misrepresentation. But
historians of ideas now recognise that an acquaintance with
Spencer's thought is essential for the proper understanding of many
aspects of Victorian intellectual life, and the present selection
is designed to answer this need.
In this amazingly prophetic work, done late in his career, Herbert
Spencer offers an approach to ethics that anticipates developments
throughout the twentieth century. He moves away from the twin evils
of ethical doctrines bequeathed to us by an ancient past that are
simply no longer feasible but also avoids modern standards of
ethical conduct that are simply impossible to attain. "By
association with rules that cannot be obeyed," Spencer writes,
"rules that can be obeyed lose their authority." The volume opens
with three chapters on conduct: its evolution, good and bad, and
ways of judgment. This is followed by a series of chapters that
examine ethics from a variety of scientific perspectives: physics,
biology, psychology, and sociology. The work then moves on to
specific issues of deep human concern: the relativity of pleasures
and pain, egoism versus altruism in explaining actions, and trial
and compromise in decision-making about ethical concerns. Spencer's
work anticipates the movement toward pragmatic, naturalistic, and
even positivist approaches to ethics. He emphasizes that a
relativist approach while in keeping with the spirit of the
industrial age, also poses a variety of problems that admit only of
empirical solutions. He understands that his critical stance on
absolutism should not blind researchers to the ideals assumed by
the ancients that assist people in their everyday living. In short,
this is a remarkable work, entirely modern, and yet containing a
sharp evaluation of how ethical data serve to enhance ethical
conduct.
In this amazingly prophetic work, done late in his career, Herbert
Spencer offers an approach to ethics that anticipates developments
throughout the twentieth century. He moves away from the twin evils
of ethical doctrines bequeathed to us by an ancient past that are
simply no longer feasible but also avoids modern standards of
ethical conduct that are simply impossible to attain. "By
association with rules that cannot be obeyed," Spencer writes,
"rules that can be obeyed lose their authority." The volume opens
with three chapters on conduct: its evolution, good and bad, and
ways of judgment. This is followed by a series of chapters that
examine ethics from a variety of scientific perspectives: physics,
biology, psychology, and sociology. The work then moves on to
specific issues of deep human concern: the relativity of pleasures
and pain, egoism versus altruism in explaining actions, and trial
and compromise in decision-making about ethical concerns. Spencer's
work anticipates the movement toward pragmatic, naturalistic, and
even positivist approaches to ethics. He emphasizes that a
relativist approach while in keeping with the spirit of the
industrial age, also poses a variety of problems that admit only of
empirical solutions. He understands that his critical stance on
absolutism should not blind researchers to the ideals assumed by
the ancients that assist people in their everyday living. In short,
this is a remarkable work, entirely modern, and yet containing a
sharp evaluation of how ethical data serve to enhance ethical
conduct.
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