ハーバート・スペンサーの世界

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What is the subject-matter of Sociology? What is the relation between Sociology and other sciences? How is it possible to study social phenomena scientifically? What is a society? Are there any social types and constitutions? These questions are questions of transcendent importance for Herbert Spencer (1820-1903). He was a philosopher, but he was also a founder of Sociology as a new science. Viewing social phenomena as super-organic phenomena, Spencer discussed the natural history of society and then asserted the necessity of Descriptive Sociology and Comparative Sociology. Using Spencer's phrase, the only Hristory that is of practical value is what may be called Descriptive Sociology and the highest office which the historian can discharge, is that of so narrating the lives of nations, as to furnish materials for a Comparative Sociology and for the subsequent determination of the ultimate laws to which social phenomena conform. What is a Social Science? Briefly speaking a Social Science, that is Sociology, is a science of social evolution which try to recognize truths of social development, structure, and function, that are some of them universal, some of them general, some of them special. This science has for its subject-matter the growth, development, structure, and functions of the social aggregate, as brought about by the mutual actions of individuals, but he as well referred to the accumulation of super-organic products. It was necessary to collect, classify and arrange various social facts according to sociological framework planned by Spencer. These social facts based on his sociological framework were really sociological facts. The core conception of sociological theory of Spencer is that of social division of labor. This social division of labor is nothing but sociological division of labor. Spencer noted economical division of labor and physiological division of labor in Biology. The former was one of the main problems in the field of Political Economy, of which one of other problems is the notion of static and dynamic approach of social phenomena. It is notable that sociological theory of Spencer has its origin in Political Economy and Moral Philosophy in Britain and that each of his sociological approach or sociological point of view is intimately connected with his theories of Psychology, Biology, and Ethics. According to Spencer the human being is at once the terminal problem of Biology and the initial factor of Sociology. Herbert Spencer's Sociology is framed by, or based on these various sciences, however his Sociology has its original subject-matter and its specific scope. Today many sociologists use technical terms coined by Spencer himself and some of these terms are as follows : structure, function development, status, organization, institution, and social phenomena, etc. Surely his sociological theory may be called proto-Sociology, but it is also evident that there are many fundamental problems and methods of Sociology in his works from Social Statics (1850) to Principles of Sociology (3 vols., 1876-96). Also his sociological point of view may be traced in The Study of Sociology (1873) and the first volume of Descriptive Sociology (1873). One of crucial problems proposed by Spencer is as follows and this question still now remains problem of great importance; What is the relation in a society between structure and growth? Up to what point is structure necessary to growth? after what point does it retard growth? at what point does it arrest growth?
慶應義塾大学の論文

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山岸健
慶應義塾大学

ハーバート・スペンサーの世界

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