Social Statics, or The Conditions essential to Happiness specified, and the First of them Developed is an 1851 book by the British economist
Herbert SpencerHerbert Spencer was an English philosopher, prominent classical liberal political theorist, and sociological theorist of the Victorian era....
. In it he uses the term "fitness" in applying his ideas of
LamarckJean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de la Marck , often just known as 'Lamarck', was a French soldier, naturalist, academic and an early proponent of the idea that evolution occurred and proceeded in accordance with natural laws.Lamarck fought in the Pomeranian War with Prussia, and...
ian evolution to society, saying for example that "It is clear that any being whose constitution is to be moulded into fitness for new conditions of existence must be placed under those conditions.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Social Statics' Start a new discussion about 'Social Statics' Answer questions from other users |
Social Statics, or The Conditions essential to Happiness specified, and the First of them Developed is an 1851 book by the British economist
Herbert SpencerHerbert Spencer was an English philosopher, prominent classical liberal political theorist, and sociological theorist of the Victorian era....
. In it he uses the term "fitness" in applying his ideas of
LamarckJean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de la Marck , often just known as 'Lamarck', was a French soldier, naturalist, academic and an early proponent of the idea that evolution occurred and proceeded in accordance with natural laws.Lamarck fought in the Pomeranian War with Prussia, and...
ian evolution to society, saying for example that "It is clear that any being whose constitution is to be moulded into fitness for new conditions of existence must be placed under those conditions. Or, putting the proposition specifically — it is clear that man can become adapted to the social state, only by being retained in the social state. This granted, it follows that as man has been, and is still, deficient in those feelings which, by dictating just conduct, prevent the perpetual antagonism of individuals and their consequent disunion, some artificial agency is required by which their union may be maintained. Only by the process of adaptation itself can be produced that character which makes social equilibrium spontaneous."
Despite it commonly being attributed to this book, it was not until his
Principles of Biology of 1864 that Spencer coined the phrase "
survival of the fittest"Survival of the fittest" is a phrase which is commonly used in contexts other than intended by its first two proponents - British polymath philosopher Herbert Spencer and Charles Darwin....
" that he would later apply to economics as well as biology. This was a key tenet of so-called
Social DarwinismSocial Darwinism refers to various ideologies based on a concept that competition among all individuals, groups, nations, or ideas drives social evolution in human societies....
.
The book was published by John Chapman of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
Judicial Commentary
In
Lochner v. New YorkLochner v. New York, , was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that held a "liberty of contract" was implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case involved a New York law that limited the number of hours to ten that a baker could work each day, and to 60 the hours...
, Justice HolmesOliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was an American jurist who served as an associate justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932...
, arguing that the Due Process Clause of the
Fourteenth AmendmentThe Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, along with the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, was adopted after the Civil War as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. It was adopted on July 9, 1868....
to the
United States ConstitutionThe Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America and the federal government of the United States...
did not require state legislation to comply with a particular economic theory, famously wrote: "The Fourteenth Amendment does not enact Mr. Herbert Spencer's Social Statics."
External links