Herbert Spencer

Abdulrahman Almania WSU ID. A535D739 10/03/2016 Functionalism, Conflict Theory and Interactionism In the modern society, there are numerous methodological approaches in sociology. Sociology is the science of society, systems, components of it, the laws of its functioning and development of social institutions, relationships, and community. Sociology studies society, revealing the inner workings of its structure and the development of its structures (structural elements: social…

A metaphor I find interesting and vivid in The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton is portrayed in, “[Selden] had preserved a certain social detachment, a happy air of viewing the show objectively, of having points of contact outside the great gilt cage in which they were all huddled for the mob to gape at” (Wharton, 54). In this quote, Wharton used the gilt cage as a metaphor for the social trap created by New York City’s high society. The novel was set in the Gilded Age, an era in which the…

John Dewey and William E.B. Du Bois are the 20th century philosophers that imparted unique contributions to education and the American society as a whole. John Dewey (1859-1952) and Du Bois (1868-1967) grew up in a time that the U.S progressed from a predominantly rural and agricultural economy to an industrial and technological society. Also, they lived the changes brought by Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War with Soviet Union. Dewey progressive philosophy was to embedded…

In other words, Spencer believed that government welfare and economic intervention was counter-intuitive to the evolution of humanity, which began “with a barbarous tribe, […] [progressing] towards an economic aggregation of the whole human race, growing ever more heterogeneous in respect of the separate functions.” Thus, Spencer applied Darwinism to European society by disparaging the weak, poor, and unsuccessful in hopes…

Many young medical professionals were attracted to the possibility to study the mind beyond only introspection, but despite the popularity phrenology received, there were always critics refuting its scientific merit. The rise and legitimization of phrenology coincided with the previously described Victorian attempt to standardize requirements for an acceptable scientific theory, but its fall around the 1840’s was not a surprise. Even among phronological circles there was a lot of disagreement;…

to create his scheme of Garden city (Eden, 1947). These projects are the proposal for organized migratory movement of population by Edward Gibbon Wakefield and Professor Alfred Marshall; the proposal for land tenure system by Thomas Spence and Herbert Spencer; and the model city called Victoria by James Silk Buckingham. This idea can be supported by Batchelor as he noted that Ebenezer Howard wrote his proposal for the establishment of garden cities in Tomorrow: A Peaceful path to Real Reform he…

behavior. Social structures help give form to our lives and society through families, the community, and religious establishments. The orientation of functionalism is on a macro type of scale. The top theorists of functionalism were Comte, Martineau, Spencer, and Durkheim. The foundation of the whole theory was based on shared values. The focus was order,…

In order to analyze the intricate nature of societies, sociologists employ several theoretical tactics. Moreover, structural-functionalism is perhaps the most effective approach towards understanding the big picture in the co-existence and union of a society as a whole. The structural-functionalism approach recognizes society at a macro-level, where it’s diverse pieces mutually rely on one another for stability. Additionally, distinct parts of a society operate together in promoting somewhat of…

or the most intelligent it just needs to be able to reproduce or have a high probability of in order to pass on its genes to the new generation. While still keeping the population well diverters to the point that it can still evolve or adapt. Herbert spencer a fellow scientist like darwin used this phrase as a way to help express darwin’s natural…

At the end of the nineteenth century, the British Empire had control over many African countries such as Egypt, Nigeria, and parts of South Africa. During this period of time, Darwinism, the theory of the evolution of species by natural selection advanced by Charles Darwin (dictionary.com), was misinterpreted and would soon evolve into Social Darwinism in which it instituted a racial hierarchy. Perry states, “Darwin’s theories were extended by others beyond the realm in which he had worked.…