Herbert Spencer (1820­1903) was thinking about ideas of evolution and progress before Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species (1859). Nonetheless, his ideas received a major boost from Darwin's theories and the general application of ideas such as "adaptation" and "survival of the fittest" to social thought is known as "Social Darwinism". It would be possible to argue that human evolution showed the benefits of cooperation and community. Spencer, and Social Darwinists after him took another view. He believed that society was evolving toward increasing freedom for individuals; and so held that government intervention, ought to be minimal in social and political life.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/spencer-darwin.html

Herbert Spencer: Social Darwinism, 1857

http://www.socsci.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/spencer/

Herbert Spencer's omline etexts

-- Herbert Spencer, The Principles of Ethics, Part IV, ch. 6, The Formula of Justice.

http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/spencer.htm

Herbert Spencer, 1820-1903

http://prof.mt.tama.hosei.ac.jp/~hhirano/academia/spencer.htm

Herbert Spencer(1852); USE AND BEAUTY

http://www.greeninformation.com/HERBERTSPENCER.HTM

SPENCER, Herbert (1820-1903)

http://elvers.stjoe.udayton.edu/history/history.asp?RURL=http://elvers.stjoe.udayton.edu/history/people/Spencer.html

Some Herbert Spencer Links