SPENCER, Herbert (1820-1903):
English POSITIVIST philosopher, sociologist and LIBERAL
who was the dominant intellectual figure in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
Applying DARWIN'S views to SOCIETY, he developed a PHILOSOPHY of PROGRESS expressed in his
First Principles (1862) and greatly contributed to the development of
ANTHROPOLOGY and SOCIOLOGY. His ambitious Principles of Sociology (1876-1896, 3
Vols.) can be seen as a forerunner of General Systems theory because of his insistence on
the self-regulating NATURE of SOCIAL SYSTEMS.
