Essays: Scientific, Political, & Speculative; Vol. 1 of 3: Library Edition (1891), Containing Seven Essays not before Republished, and Various other Additions.Spencer, Herbert
Philosophy
Essays: Scientific, Political, & Speculative; Vol. 1 of 3: Library Edition (1891), Containing Seven Essays not before Republished, and Various other Additions.
Spencer, Herbert
Philosophy; Political science; Science
between man and man which are not regulated by civil and religious law.
Moreover, it is to be observed that this increasing heterogeneity in the
governmental appliances of each nation, has been accompanied by an
increasing heterogeneity in the assemblage of governmental appliances of
different nations: all nations being more or less unlike in their
political systems and legislation, in their creeds and religious
institutions, in their customs and ceremonial usages.
Simultaneously there has been going on a second differentiation of a
more familiar kind; that, namely, by which the mass of the community has
been segregated into distinct classes and orders of workers. While the
governing part has undergone the complex development above detailed, the
governed part has undergone an equally complex development, which has
resulted in that minute division of labour characterizing advanced
nations. It is needless to trace out this progress from its first
stages, up through the caste-divisions of the East and the incorporated
guilds of Europe, to the elaborate producing and distributing
organization existing among ourselves. It has been an evolution which,
beginning with a tribe whose members severally perform the same actions
each for himself, ends with a civilized community whose members
severally perform different actions for each other; and an evolution
which has transformed the solitary producer of any one commodity into a
combination of producers who, united under a master, take separate parts
in the manufacture of such commodity. But there are yet other and higher
phases of this advance from the homogeneous to the heterogeneous in the
industrial organization of society. Long after considerable progress has
been made in the division of labour among different classes of workers,
there is still little or no division of labour among the widely
separated parts of the community: the nation continues comparatively
homogeneous in the respect that in each district the same occupations
are pursued. But when roads and other means of transit become numerous
and good, the different districts begin to assume different functions,
and to become mutually dependent. The calico manufacture locates itself
in this county, the woollen-cloth manufacture in that; silks are
produced here, lace there; stockings in one place, shoes in another;
pottery, hardware, cutlery, come to have their special towns; and
ultimately every locality becomes more or less distinguished from the
rest by the leading occupation carried on in it. This subdivision of
functions shows itself not only among the different parts of the same
nation, but among different nations. That exchange of commodities which
free-trade is increasing so largely, will ultimately have the effect of
specializing, in a greater or less degree, the industry of each people.
So that, beginning with a barbarous tribe, almost if not quite
homogeneous in the functions of its members, the progress has been, and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account