Herbert Spencer was a Victorian philosopher; classical liberal political theorist; and sociological theorist. Spencer's theory on evolution shows a progressive development of the physical world, biological organisms, the human mind, and human culture and societies. Principles of Biology was written in 1864 and first used the phrase "survival of the fittest." From the introduction "Spencer divided the leading kinds of human activity into those which minister to self-preservation, those which secure the necessaries of life, ...
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Herbert Spencer was a Victorian philosopher; classical liberal political theorist; and sociological theorist. Spencer's theory on evolution shows a progressive development of the physical world, biological organisms, the human mind, and human culture and societies. Principles of Biology was written in 1864 and first used the phrase "survival of the fittest." From the introduction "Spencer divided the leading kinds of human activity into those which minister to self-preservation, those which secure the necessaries of life, those whose end is the care of offspring, those which make good citizens, and those which prepare adults to enjoy nature, literature, and the fine arts; and he then maintained that in each of these several classes, knowledge of science was worth more than any other knowledge. He argued that everywhere throughout creation faculties are developed through the performance of the appropriate functions; so that it would be contrary to the whole harmony of nature "if one kind of culture were needed for the gaining of information, and another kind were needed as a mental gymnastic." He then maintained that the sciences are superior in all respects to languages as educational material; they train the memory better, and a superior kind of memory; they cultivate the judgment, and they impart an admirable moral and religious discipline. He concluded that "for discipline, as well as for guidance, science is of chiefest value. In all its effects, learning the meaning of things is better than learning the meaning of words."
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