Spencer, Herbert (1820-1903)

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Birth Date

1820-04-27

Death Date

1903-12-08

Birthplace

Derby, England

Biographical Text

Herbert Spencer worked as both a civil engineer and as a sub-editor for The Economist. In 1851, Spencer wrote his first book, Social Statics (1851). Shortly after publication, Spencer befriended John Stuart Mill, Harriet Martineau, George Henry Lewes and Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot). Spencer wrote a second book with the help of Lewes and Evans, titled Principles of Psychology (1855). By the 1870s he became the most famous philosopher of his time, and he became a member of the Athenaeum, a Distinguished Gentleman's Club, and the X Club, a prominent dining club. His philosophy was a mixture of deism and positivism, and he believed that there was possibly a higher power that created the laws of science. Spencer also had a theory of evolution based on the ideas of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Though his theory was different than Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, Spencer is often blamed for stealing the ideas of Darwin's. Spencer's sociology has also been mistaken for social Darwinism. In 1902 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature. Spencer was also the inventor of a precursor to the modern paper clip.

Spencer died in 1903.

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Edited By

Hajo, Cathy Moran

Lichon, Sara Catherine

Rights

Public domain

Gender

Male

First appears

1902

Bibliography and Links

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Wikipedia

Citation

“Spencer, Herbert (1820-1903),” Jane Addams Digital Edition, accessed October 4, 2024, http://digital.janeaddams.ramapo.edu/items/show/1773.

Spencer, Herbert (1820-1903)

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William Kent to Jane Addams, May 19, 1902

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Recreation as a Public Function in Urban Communities, 1911

Ten Years' Experience in Illinois, March 12, 1911

Ten Years' Experience in Illinois, March 12, 1911

Recreation as a Public Function in Urban Communities, December 28, 1911

Miss Addams, August 1913

Review of Henrietta Octavia Rowland Barnett's Canon Barnett: His Life, Work, and Friends, April 5, 1920

Review of Henrietta Octavia Rowland Barnett's Canon Barnett: His Life, Work, and Friends, April 9, 1920

A Pioneer Philanthropist, July 1920

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