Spencer took the theory of evolution one step beyond biology and applied it to say that
societies were organisms that progress through changes similar to that of a living species
. It was Spencer’s philosophy that societies (like organisms) would begin simple and then progress to a more complex form.
Definition. Social evolution is the
area of evolutionary biology that studies how social interactions, especially between individuals of the same species, arise, change and are maintained
. A particular focus is on how cooperative behaviour can be beneficial despite the intuitive advantages of being selfish.
Herbert Spencer is famous for his doctrine of social Darwinism, which asserted that the principles of evolution, including natural selection,
apply to human societies, social classes, and individuals
as well as to biological species developing over geologic time.
How did Spencer define evolution?
Spencer’s characterization of the evolutionary process as described in this book culminated in his classic definition: Evolution is
a change from an indefinite, incoherent homogeneity, to a definite, coherent heterogeneity; through continuous differentiations and integrations
(Spencer 1862:216).
Spencer argued that
the evolution of human societies
, far from being different from other evolutionary phenomena. It is a special case of a universally applicable natural law. … All universal phenomena-inorganic, organic, super organic—are subject to the natural law of evolution.
Following Comte,
Spencer created a synthetic philosophy that attempted to find a set of rules to explain everything in the universe, including social behavior
. … This is why Spencer’s theories are often called “social Darwinism.”
Why is Spencer called utilitarianism?
Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism, which advocates that
those actions are right which bring about the most good overall
. … Herbert Spencer developed an evolutionary utilitarian ethics in which the principles of ethical living are based on the evolutionary changes of organic development.
Social control refers to societal and political mechanisms that regulate individual and group behaviour in an attempt to gain conformity and compliance to the rules of a given society, state, or social group. Sociologists identify two basic forms of social control –
informal control and formal control
.
What are the three types of evolution?
Evolution over time can follow several different patterns. Factors such as environment and predation pressures can have different effects on the ways in which species exposed to them evolve. shows the three main types of evolution:
divergent, convergent, and parallel evolution
.
social evolution. noun.
sociol
the process of social development from an early simple type of social organization to one that is complex and highly specialized.
Who is known as the father of evolution?
Charles Darwin
: Naturalist, Revolutionary, and Father of Evolution.
Who now reads Spencer?
Spencer was “the single most famous European intellectual in the closing decades of the nineteenth century” but his influence declined sharply after 1900: “Who now reads Spencer?” asked
Talcott Parsons
in 1937.
Spencer’s
theory of social evolution, which is often referred to as Social Darwinism but which he called synthetic philosophy, proposed that war promoted evolution, stating that those societies that conducted more warfare were the most evolved.
Spencer believed his own England and other advanced nations were naturally evolving into peaceful “industrial” societies. To help this evolutionary process, he argued
that government should get out of the way of the fittest individuals
.
What is Durkheim’s theory?
Durkheim believed that
society exerted a powerful force on individuals
. People’s norms, beliefs, and values make up a collective consciousness, or a shared way of understanding and behaving in the world. The collective consciousness binds individuals together and creates social integration.
Four common causes, as recognized by social scientists, are
technology, social institutions, population, and the environment
. All four of these areas can impact when and how society changes. And they are all interrelated: a change in one area can lead to changes throughout.
