Born 27 Apr 1820; died 8 Dec 1903 at age 83.
#English #sociologist and #philosopher who was an early adherent of #evolutionary theory.
He regarded #society as an #organism which was evolving from a simple #primitive state to a complex #heterogeneous form according to the designs of an unknown and unknowable absolute force.
Similarly, knowledge developed from an undifferentiated mass into the various separate sciences.
Formulating his ideas independently of #Darwin, Spencer coined the phrase “#SurvivaloftheFittest” as early as 1852. He applied Darwin's theory of #NaturalSelection (proposed four years later) to social development and in A System of Synthetic Philosophy (1862-96) presented a philosophical system to the natural and social sciences, synthesizing #metaphysics, #biology, #psychology, #sociology, and #ethics.
