Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) is remembered today only as an alleged
'Social Darwinist' who applied the theory of the survival of the
fittest to society. Yet he was among the most influential and
widely-read philosophers of the nineteenth century. There were few
Victorian thinkers and scientists who did not know his work, and who
did not formulate their own positions partly in reaction to his.
Michael Taylor's book provides the only detailed and reliable modern
survey of the whole corpus of Spencer's thought. Taylor introduces a
Spencer very different to his posthumous reputation: not primarily a
political philosopher, but the architect of a comprehensive
philosophical system that aimed to demonstrate the inevitability of
human perfection through universal natural laws. He also locates the
Synthetic Philosophy firmly in its place and time by showing how it
developed out of the concerns of a group of like-minded British
writers and thinkers during the 1850s. This book will be of interest
to historians of philosophy and of science, to social scientists, to
scholars and students of nineteenth century literature, and to anyone
who wishes to understand one of most important figures in Victorian
intellectual life.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781441132062
Publisert
2015
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
Continuum
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter