Men Versus the State

Herbert Spencer and Late Victorian Individualism
Erscheinungsjahr 1992
ISBN: 978-0-19-820239-4
Verlag: OUP Oxford

Buch, Englisch, 304 Seiten, Format (B × H): 145 mm x 222 mm, Gewicht: 568 g

Reihe: Oxford Historical Monographs

Men Versus the State is a study both of the political philosophy of Herbert Spencer (considered by many to be the greatest philosopher of Victorian Britain) and of the ideas of the Individualists, a group of political thinkers inspired by him to uphold the policy of laissez-faire during the 1880s and 1890s. Despite their important contribution to nineteenth-century political debate, these thinkers have been neglected by historians, who have
concentrated on the advocates of an enhanced role for government in economic and social affairs. The Individualists were forceful critics of this tendency to expand the frontiers of the State. This, the first comprehensive study of their ideas, sheds new light on the nature of late Victorian political argument. The book also
provides an original perspective on Spencer's political philosophy, which provided Individualism with much of its intellectual justification. It will be of interest to anyone who wishes to set free-market conservatism in a historical context.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Taylor

Taylor, Michael

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Volkswirtschaftslehre Allgemein Wirtschaftstheorie, Wirtschaftsphilosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Theorie, Politische Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Sozialphilosophie, Politische Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Europäische Länder England, UK, Irland: Regional & Stadtgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface; The paradise lost of liberalism; Rivals to the Benthamite heritage; Progress and the struggle for existence; The formation of character; The organic conception of society; The individualist theory of history; The reworking of utilitarianism; Justice, property, and natural right; Individualism and conservatism; Select bibliography; Index

Über Autor(innen)

Currently Analyst, Banking Supervision Division, Bank of England; formerly Lecturer in Political Philosophy and Political Theory, Lincoln College, Oxford (1986-1989)