BRIEF BIOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF HERBERT SPENCER

• Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was a prominent British social thinker and is often called “the second founding father of sociology.”
• Spencer was a philosopher, evolutionist, and strong defender of individualism.
• Spencer aimed to create what Comte had envisioned, making sociology an all-encompassing science.
• He was a self-taught man, with highly selective learning.
• Born on April 27, 1820, in Derby, England, in a middle-class family.
• The oldest of nine children, Spencer was the only survivor of his family.
• Due to ill-health, he could not attend conventional school, receiving education from his father and later his uncle, both of whom imparted scientific knowledge.
• At 13, he went to live with his uncle, who further educated him.
• Spencer worked briefly as an engineer for the London and Birmingham Railway but returned home due to health issues.
• He shifted to journalism, becoming an editor of the Economist, one of England’s greatest publications.
• During his time at the Economist, Spencer developed relationships with advanced journalists and wrote his first book, “Social Statics” (1851), which was well-received by the radical public.
• In 1853, he resigned from his post to become an independent writer and used money inherited from his uncle to support his new career.
• Spencer remained a private scholar with no regular job or institutional attachment and lived as a lifelong bachelor.
• By 1850, Spencer completed his first major work, “Social Statics”.
• Spencer began to suffer from insomnia and mental health issues, leading to nervous breakdowns for the rest of his life.
• Despite no university degree or academic position, Spencer’s scholarly productivity increased.
• In 1855, Spencer published “The Principles of Psychology”, though it was not as popular as his earlier work.
• He continued to produce scholarly works despite his health issues, using opium to manage his condition and only being able to read and write for a few hours daily.
• Spencer’s major works include “First Principles”, “Principles of Biology”, “Principles of Ethics”, “Principles of Sociology”, and “The Study of Sociology”.
• Spencer earned an international reputation, and leading thinkers such as J.S. Mill, Thomas Huxley, Tyndall, and Charles Darwin admired his writings.
• Charles Darwin stated Spencer could have been “a wonderful man” if he had focused more on observation.
• Spencer also wrote on political issues, such as his opposition to the Boer War and support for the introduction of the metric system in England.
• Due to declining mental health, Spencer lived in isolation in his later years and died on December 8, 1903, at age 83.
• Main works of Spencer:
  • On Philosophy and Religion: “The Nature and Reality of Religion” (1885, withdrawn from publication).
  • Series of Books on Synthetic Philosophy: “First Principles” (1862), “The Principles of Biology” (2 volumes, 1864-67), “The Principles of Psychology” (1855), “The Principles of Sociology” (3 volumes, 1876-96), “The Principles of Ethics” (2 volumes, 1892-93).
  • Descriptive Sociology (2 volumes).
  • On Political and Social Matters: “The Proper Sphere of Government” (1843), “Social Statics” (1851), “Education: Intellectual, Moral, Physical” (1861), “The Study of Sociology” (1872), “The Man Versus The State” (1884), “Data of Ethics” (1893), “Facts and Comments” (1902).
  • Other Works: “Essay: Scientific, Political, and Speculative” (3 volumes, 1891), “Autobiography” (1904, intellectual rather than personal).