Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was regarded by the Victorians as the foremost philosopher of the age, the prophet of evolution at a time when the idea had gripped the popular imagination. Until recently Spencer's posthumous reputation rested almost excusively on his social and political thought, which has itself frequently been subject to serious misrepresentation. But historians of ideas now recognise that an acquaintance with Spencer's thought is essential for the proper understanding of many aspects of Victorian intellectual life, and the present selection is designed to answer this need. It provides a cross-section of Spencer's works from his more popular and approachable essays to a number of the volumes of the Synthetic Philosophy itself. Volume III.
Vol III: Manners and Fashion, Railway Morals and Railway Policy, The Morals of Trade, Prison-Ethics, The Ethics of Kant, Absolute Political Ethics, Over-Legislation, Representative Government-what is it Good for? State-Tamperings with Money and Banks, Parliamentary Reform: The Dangers and the Safe-Guards, 'The Collective Wisdom', Political Fetichism, Specialized Administration, From Freedom to Bondage, The Americans.
Biography
Herbert Spencer
