Abstract
THE winding-up of the trust created under the will of Herbert Spencer for the publication of sociological material relating to the less advanced societies has been fittingly marked by the Trustees in the publication of this account of Herbert Spencer's sociological work. Dr. Rumney, to whom they entrusted the task, has wisely not confined himself to a summary of Spencer's theories, but has analysed them critically in the light of modern developments in theory and method. Spencer has not received a very cordial welcome in academic circles, and it will perhaps come as a surprise to many who have not an extensive acquaintance at first hand with his writings to find how well they stand the test. Dr. Rumney finds the main ground of criticism in the attention given to structure rather than function and in the neglect of modern or civilised societies in favour of primitive or archaic forms. The explanation of the latter failing, as he points out, is that in the days in which Spencer was working it was erroneously believed that the 'savage’ society is the simpler—a fallacy exposed by modern research.
Herbert Spencer's Sociology: a Study in the History of Social Theory, to which is appended a Bibliography of Spencer and his Work.
Dr.
J.
Rumney
By. (Herbert Spencer's “Descriptive Sociology”, continued by his Trustees.) (Published for Herbert Spencer's Trustees.) Pp. xvi + 357. (London: Williams and Norgate, Ltd., 1934.) 10s. 6d. net.
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Herbert Spencer's Sociology: a Study in the History of Social Theory, to which is appended a Bibliography of Spencer and his Work. Nature 135, 527 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/135527c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/135527c0