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
If the advance of Man towards greater heterogeneity is traceable to the
production of many effects by one cause, still more clearly may the
advance of Society towards greater heterogeneity be so explained.
Consider the growth of an industrial organization. When, as must
occasionally happen, some member of a tribe displays unusual aptitude
for making an article of general use--a weapon, for instance--which was
before made by each man for himself, there arises a tendency towards the
differentiation of that member into a maker of such weapon. His
companions--warriors and hunters all of them,--severally feel the
importance of having the best weapons that can be made; and are
therefore certain to offer strong inducements to this skilled individual
to make weapons for them. He, on the other hand, having not only an
unusual faculty, but an unusual liking, for making such weapons (the
talent and the desire for any occupation being commonly associated), is
predisposed to fulfil each commission on the offer of an adequate
reward: especially as his love of distinction is also gratified and his
living facilitated. This first specialization of function, once
commenced, tends ever to become more decided. On the side of the
weapon-maker practice gives increased skill--increased superiority to
his products. On the side of his clients, cessation of practice entails
decreased skill. Thus the influences which determine this division of
labour grow stronger in both ways; and the incipient heterogeneity is,
on the average of cases, likely to become permanent for that generation
if no longer. This process not only differentiates the social mass into
two parts, the one monopolizing, or almost monopolizing, the performance
of a certain function, and the other losing the habit, and in some
measure the power, of performing that function; but it tends to initiate
other differentiations. The advance described implies the introduction
of barter,--the maker of weapons has, on each occasion, to be paid in
such other articles as he agrees to take in exchange. He will not
habitually take in exchange one kind of article, but many kinds. He does
not want mats only, or skins, or fishing-gear, but he wants all these,
and on each occasion will bargain for the particular things he most
needs. What follows? If among his fellows there exist any slight
differences of skill in the manufacture of these various things, as
there are almost sure to do, the weapon-maker will take from each one
the thing which that one excels in making: he will exchange for mats
with him whose mats are superior, and will bargain for the
fishing-gear of him who has the best. But he who has bartered away his
mats or his fishing-gear, must make other mats or fishing-gear for
himself; and in so doing must, in some degree, further develop his
aptitude. Thus it results that the small specialities of faculty
possessed by various members of the tribe, will tend to grow more
decided.
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