Specifications
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| ISBN 13 | 9780198202394 |
| Book Subtitle | Herbert Spencer And Late Victorian Individualism |
| Book Description | 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. |
| Editorial Review | an extremely engaging book ... Taylor has an admirable grasp of the literature and uses it to good effect in arguing cogently against many of the preconceptions and misunderstandings of Spencer's crucial ideas ... careful, scholarly and stimulating ... He has produced a highly original work which must serve as a reference point for future studies of Spencer's political thought. * David Boucher, University of Wales, Swansea, History of Political Thought, Vol. XVIII, Issue 1, Spring 1997 * The study makes a number of important negative claims. Taylor maintains convincingly that Spencer's evolutionary theory was neither Darwinian nor Lamarckian but rooted in classical mechanics. * EHR vol 110 issue 436 * `not only does the author make a contribution to the history of political thought; his work should be helpful to those trying to understand issues in the debate between liberals of the right and those on the left today' Abraham Hirsch, Brooklyn College, Emeritus, The Southern Economic Journal, July 1993 `excellent account of the Spencerian complex in late-Victorian Britain' Times Higher Education Supplement `tellingly augments what has become a wealth of scholarship on the character of political argument in Britain during the last decades of the nineteenth century ... his book is a valuable addition to the literature on late-Victorian political thought.' American Historical Review, Oct 1993 |
| About the Author | Currently Analyst, Banking Supervision Division, Bank of England; formerly Lecturer in Political Philosophy and Political Theory, Lincoln College, Oxford (1986-1989) |
| Language | English |
| Author | M. W. Taylor |
| Publication Date | 2 Apr 1992 |
| Number of Pages | 304 |
Men Versus The State: Herbert Spencer And Late Victorian Individualism hardcover english - 2 Apr 1992
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