| Men Versus the State: Herbert Spencer and Late Victorian Individualism Contributor(s): Taylor, M. W. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0198202393 ISBN-13: 9780198202394 Publisher: Clarendon Press OUR PRICE: $280.25 Product Type: Hardcover Published: April 1992 Annotation: This book is a study both of the political philosophy of Herbert Spencer (considered by many Victorians to be the greatest philosopher of their age) and of the ideas of the Individualists, a group of political thinkers inspired by him to uphold the policy of laisses-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 extend 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 see free-market conservatism in a historical context. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Europe - Great Britain - General |
| Dewey: 320.512 |
| LCCN: 91024172 |
| Physical Information: 0.81" H x 5.5" W x 8.5" (1.19 lbs) 304 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: A study of the political philosophy of Herbert Spencer, this book examines the thought of the man considered by many to be the greatest philosopher of Victorian Britain, and 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 Taylor argues have concentrated instead on the advocates of an enhanced role for government in economic and social affairs. Offering the first comprehensive view of free-market conservatism in an historical context, Taylor provides an original perspective on Spencer's political philosophy as well as the nature of late Victorian political argument in general. |