Eleanor Lee
born 1999
MY Website
Herbert Spencer:
-Strong Proponant of Social Darwinism
During the industrial revolution Tycoons believed that they had gained wealth and power through hard work, thriftyness, and intelligence, and that they therefore deserved it. This lead to the popular social theory of Social Darwinism, which applied Darwins laws of evolution and natural selection to the market place and said that "only the fittest individuals survived and flourished" (Brinkly P. 437)
As Spencer supported this theory that only the strong, and talented would survive. His teachings as a philospher gained the support of many American intellectuals. Spencer created the term "survival of the fittest" and applied it to the Laissez Faire. He developed and applied this evolutionary theory to philosophy, psycology, and the study of society otherwise known as "Synthetic Philosophy".
He began his career by training as a civil engineer for railways but, later switched to political writing and journalism. His greatest work was Synthetic Philosophy contributing to intellectual magazines and gaining support from radical thinkers and influencial scientists.
During the Industrial Revolution, the tycoon Andrew Carnegie was heavily influenced by Spencers writings. Spencer allowed Carnegie to justify his position about persuing wealthy without moral reservations.
Spencer was influencial in applying Darwin's theory to society and influencing tycoons in the Industrial Revolution. However, his political ideas did not continue to hold the popularity that they had during the 1900's. This made Spencer less influencial than Horatio Alger.
Horatio Alger
-Promoter of the "Gospel of Wealth"
The Gospel of Wealth was a more gentle philosphy of Social Darwinism which Horatio Alger promoted through his novels. All of his novels celebrated social mobility and the ability of American individuals to go from rags to riches. These novels motivated many men during the Industrial Revolution.
Alger began his career as a minister in Masachusetts, and later moved to New York where he wrote over one hundred novels. In these novels, Alger put emphasis on sucess being the outcome of good virtue. His ideas focused on each individual, specifically focusing on middle class readers advancing in society through honesty, charm, and hard work. Algers desire was to "exert a salutary influence upon the class of whom [he] was writing, by setting before them inspiring examples of what energy, ambition, and an honest purpose may achieve." (Brinkly P. 438)
Alger's books transformed him into a symbol of "individual achievement". In 1947, the American schools and college association created the Horatio Alger award. It honered individuals who "pulled themselves up by their bootstraps in the American tradition" (Brinkley P. 439).
The Industrial Revolution;
Two Views of Society
Information Citation
"Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
Herbert Spencer. PBS. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
Brinkley, Alan. Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. S.l.: Mcgraw-Hill Education, 2015. Print.
Taylor, Michael. The Philosophy of Herbert Spencer. London: Continuum, 2007. Print.
Nackenoff, Carol. The Fictional Republic: Horatio Alger and American Political Discourse. New York: Oxford UP, 1994. Print.
