Herbert Spencer

Ideas on Societal Evolution- Stages of society

Synthetic philosophy

• Spencer’s grand scheme for social sciences is called synthetic

philosophy
- it include various concerns over physical, psychological,
biological , sociological and ethical realms of society
Some of the books-

• Social Statics
• Principles of Ethics
• First Principles
• The Study of Sociology
• The Principles of Sociology
Stages in the evolution of society
• Increase in the size of a social aggregate increases the need for
differentiation of functions and elaboration of structures.
• The increase in the size is due to high birth rate, migration and joining
of population through conquest and assimilation
• Compounding –joining together of various systems-primary,
secondary and tertiary compounding
• Differentiation of structures and its three axes-
• Regulatory- structures manage the relations with the external environment
• Operative- system needs of production of goods and commodities
• Distributive- structures move materials, people and information
Types of societies or stages of society

• Simple Societies- headed and headless

• Compound
• Doubly Compound
• Trebly Compound
Simple societies- Headless

• Temporary Leaders
• Hunting and gathering societies
• Individualised religious worship
• Simple families
• Sexual division of labour
• Little art and literature
• Informal code of conduct
• No forms of social stratification
• Mobility is limited within territory
Simple societies- with head
• Permanent chiefs
• Pastoral- simple forms of agriculture
• Beginning of religious specialists- shaman
• Large and complex families
• Some form of art
• Informal code of conduct
• Small settled groups
• Less mobility
• Simple, nomadic without any stable relationships
Compound societies
• Hierarchy of chiefs with a paramount chief
• Agricultural society
• Established ecclesiastical arrangements
• Large and complex families
• Division of labour- age, political divisions
• Artists
• Informal code of conduct
• villages
Doubly compound
• Bureaucratized political state- state and political units
• Agricultural
• Ecclesiastical hierarchy- rigid rituals
• Artists, literary specialists
• Written law and codes of conduct
• Large towns
• Caste and other forms of social structures
Trebly Compound Societies
• Modern Political State
• Industrial Capitalism
• Religious Diversity
• Small families- nuclear
• Decreased sexual division of labour
• Artists, scientists etc.
• Classes are less rigid
• Oral and written means of communication- media
• Settled and urban life
Herbert Spencer’s ideas on Social Institutions
Social Institution-
• Enduring patterns of social organisation, to meet the fundamental functional needs/requisites
of human organization and control the activities of individuals and groups
• Social selection argument in his review of institutional dynamics

• The most basic institutions emerge and persist because they provide a population
with adaptive advantages in given environment both natural and environment.

• Domestic Institutions- Kinship

• Religious
• Political
• Economic
• Ceremonial
Domestic Institutions- Kinship

• Basic need of all species- reproduction

• Regulation and control of sexual activity and reproduction
• Permanent bonds between man and woman

• Kinship is a principal mechanism of social integration in the absence of

alternative ways
• Larger societies have elaborate forms of kinship
• Societies with perpetual conflicts leads to patrilineal lineage
Religious Institutions

• Belief in supernatural power

• Organized groups of individuals
• Ritual activities offered to the super natural phenomena

• Reinforces the values and beliefs

• Strengthening socio-cultural arrangements in the society
Political Institutions
• Emergence- internal conflict and hostility towards outsiders

• Common features-
• paramount leaders,
• clusters of subleaders and administration,
• Large mass of followers
• Sets of beliefs and values legitimating the leadership and power
Conti..

• Internal differentiation of Government will be high when there is large

number of people
• Centralisation of power will be greater when there is conflict within
the societies and with the outsiders
• Great the centralisation of power, more visible are the class divisions
Economic Institutions
• Evolution of economic institutions revolves around-

• The increasing technology and knowledge about how to manipulate natural

environment
• Expansion of production and distribution of goods and services
• Accumulation of capital and tools of production
• Changes in the organization of labour

• Oriented towards the effective and greater adaptation to the

environment
Ceremonial Institutions
• Human relations are structured by symbols and rituals

• Address, rituals, badges of honour, greetings, fashion and dress

• influence the behaviour

• Centralisation of power and Social inequality – the greater concern for ceremonial institutions

• While interacting with each other- we present ourselves to other through symbols and rituals-
expect the response from others

• Interaction is mediated by such symbols and ceremonies that structure how individuals have to
behave towards each other.