3. Conflict theory. Unit 14. Spencer

Warm up

Exercise 1. Match the English words on the left with their Russian equivalents on the right. Learn the words by heart.

1. development	a) создавать;
2. opinion	b) влияние;
3. to refuse	c) мнение, убеждение;
4. to create	d) заимствовать;
5. volume	e) позиция, отношение;
6. to borrow	f) развитие, рост;
7. valued	g) признанный;
8. influence	h) ценимый;
9. acknowledged	i) отказывать;
10. attitude	j) том, книга.

READING

Exercise 2. Read and translate the following text. Use the dictionary when necessary.

Spencer and his time

The birth of sociology in England is linked with the name of Herbert Spencer (1820-1903). In the middle of the nineteenth century, when his scientific activity was beginning, British capitalism was at the zenith of its prosperity. England, having completed the industrial revolution before all other countries, had far outstripped them in level of economic development. In the eyes of mid-century world opinion, she was the symbol of prosperity and liberalism. In spite of acute class contradictions, the British middle classes were proud of the progress made, and looked to the future with confidence. That mood had its effect, as well, on Spencer’s social philosophy.

Spencer worked from 1837 to 1841 as an engineer and technician on a railway, simultaneously studying mathematics and natural sciences. Then, for several years, he contributed to the press. In 1853, having inherited a tidy legacy from an uncle, he resigned his post and began the modest life of an independent scientist and publicist. Even after he had attained fame, he refused all official honours.

In the early 1860s Spencer made a tremendous effort to create a system of synthetic philosophy that would unite all the theoretical sciences of the time. This work included ten volumes, consisting of five separate titles: First Principles (1862), Principles of Biology (1864,1867), Principles of Psychology (1870-1872); Principles of Sociology ( 1876, 1882, 1896), which was anticipated in 1873 in an independent book The Study of Sociology, and Principles of Ethics (1892, 1893).

What were the sources of his ideas?

In his youth he was not interested in philosophy; later he did not read philosophical and psychological books, preferring to derive the necessary information from conversations with friends and popular editions. Accor­ding to his secretary, there was not a single book by Hobbes, Locke, Hume, or Kant in his library. His knowledge of history, too, was very weak.

Spencer borrowed much more from the natural sciences, especially from those parts in which the idea of deve­lopment was being born or worked out. When Darwin’s Origin of Species appeared in 1858, Spencer warmly welcomed it. Darwin in turn highly valued Spencer’s theory of evolution, acknowledged its influence, and even placed Spencer intellectually above himself. Yet, in spite of this respect and influence, Spencer’s evolutionism was more Lamarckian than Darwinian.

A second line of influence, perceived and acknowledged by Spencer himself, was the works of English economists of the eighteenth century, especially those of Malthus and Adam Smith.

Finally, the ideas of the English Utilitarians, in particular of Bentham, whose individualism Spencer intensified even more, had quite a clear influence on him. He had already, in his first book Social Statics (1851), formulated a “law of equal freedom”, according to which “every man may claim the fullest liberty to exercise his faculties compatible with the possession of like liberty by every other man”. Freedom of individual actions, competition and survival of the fittest were all that were needed for the development of society.

Spencer’s attitude to Comte presents special interest. His own ideas had already been formed in the main when he became acquainted with Comte’s works. On the whole he highly appreciated Comte, ascribing to him “the credit of having set forth with comparative definiteness, the connexion between the Science of Life and the Science of Society”.

Later, however, there began to be serious disagreements. Spencer was, first of all, much more naturalistic than Comte. Spencer rejected the idea of uniform, linear progress, in the light of which the different forms of society presented by savage and civilized races all over the globe, are but different stages in the evolution of one form. In his view the truth was that social types, like types of individual organisms, do not form a series, but are classifiable only in divergent groups.

Finally, Spencer posed the question of the relation of the individual and the social whole quite differently to Comte.

Exercise 3. Decide whether the following statements are true or false.

1. The birth of the natural sciences is linked with the name of Herbert Spencer.

2. In 1853 he resigned his post and began the luxurious life of a rich and famous man.

3. He didn’t read philosophical books and his knowledge of history was very weak too.

4. Spencer warmly welcomed Darwin’s book Origin of Species.

5. Spencer posed the question of the relation of the individual and the social whole as Comte.

Exercise 4. Answer the following questions.

1. What country had outstripped all other countries in level of economic development?

2. When did Spencer study mathematics and natural sciences?

3. What did Spencer do having inherited a tidy legacy from his uncle?

4. What did Spencer make to unite all theoretical sciences of the time?

5. How can you describe an achieved status?

6. How many volumes did his work include?

7. How did Spencer derive the necessary information?

8. Who valued Spencer’s theory of evolution?

9. What was Spencer’s first book in which he formulated a “law of equal freedom”?

10. What was the difference between Spencer and Comte?

Exercise 5. Match each definition with the correct word. Translate the words into Russian and learn them by heart.

1. to determine	a) to be determined or based;
2. to occupy	b) to take up a place or to fill an extent in time;
3. senior	c) a serious attempt;
4. recent	d) the scenery or ground behind something;
5. an effort	e) to settle or decide by choice of alternatives or possibilities;
6. a welfare	f) having lately come into existence;
7. available	g) present or ready for immediate use;
8. to depend	h) higher ranking;
9. major	i) aid in the form of money and necessities for those in need;
10. background	j) greater in rank, importance or interest.

Exercise 6. Now read and translate the text on The Subject-Matter of Sociology. Use the dictionary when necessary.