Reasonable Theoretical Support For The Modern Industrial Society - Spencer's Social Evolutionary Thought

The dissertation specializes in the social evolutionism of Herbert Spencer, a philosopher and socialist of the Victorian Age. It is based on the perusal of Spencer's original work, the inspection of the modern industrial society's formation and development and the explanation of some representative figures of classical liberalism as well as their classical works. Also, efforts are made to explain Spencer's social evolutionism from different aspects as sociology, ethics, economics and politics. The dissertation makes research on this theory from the view of ethics-economics (humanity, virtue, competition, market system) and sociology-politics (equal freedom, the relationship between individual and the state). It features in connecting Spencer's social evolutionism with the development of modem industrial society and orients this theory as a theoretical argument for the rationality and validity of modern industrial society. Meanwhile, it also tries to rectify some predominant misunderstandings on Spencer's theory which have regarded it as "evil politics".The dissertation stresses the relation of this theory and the primary system as well as core idea while researching the specific argumentation Spencer gave towards social evolution. It also explains the Spencer's optimistic attitude towards social evolution (demonstrating the ineluctability and indispensability of social evolution) and puts emphasis on the rationality of some fundamental system and values of modern industrial society such as liberty, power , market and competition. Moreover, it points out the crucial value of economic and political freedom in the process of the establishment and development of modern industrial society emphatically and reveals the great significance of men's adaptation to industrial society.The dissertation arranges, analyzes and explains Spencer's social evolutionism through illustrating some main issues concerning this theory such as "what"(the content), "why"(the thinker's personal experience, knowledge background and the theory's historical background), "how"(the means of demonstration) and "its significance"(its significanpe and value in the history of academic). It also intends to help to understand some key concepts about modern industrial civilization as liberty, competition, efficiency and justice through researching this theme. Thedissertation attaches great importance to analyzing and explaining the ideological feature and theoretical trend: Positivism, Sciencism, Functionalism, Organism, Evolutionism, Individualism and LiberalismThe establishment of Spencer's "social evolutionism" is based on the boom of science and industry as well as the prosperity of individual and socialism campaign. Considering "individual" and "society" as fundamental element, it tries to use the concept of "evolution " to demonstrate and the rationality of industrial society in a comprehensive way of science-philosopher. Just because of such a historic background, the argument he made for the primary thoughts and system of modern industrial society is that essential. Spencer, protesting individualism and liberalism, theoretically support modern industrial civilization, whose crucial system is market economy. All his argumentations were based on the general laws and principles of the universe's evolution.The core of Spencer's "social evolutionism" expressed the evolutionary process that human quality adapts to the social structure. Surveying modern human civilization, the image of social evolution is modem industrial civilization characterized by market economy. Spencer summarized the social evolution as a transformation from military society to a democracy industrial society. Thus, the basis of a industrial society is a free market economy. This system means respecting and protecting individual rights and liberty and reducing government interference to the largest extent, division in the widest range as well as mutual dependence. Under such a system, people can give each other extensive rights. Meanwhile, a competitive system of preservin...