Spencerian
- adjective
- /spɛnˈsɪəriən/
- Formal
:
spenceriano
- Herbert Spencer's ideas were influential in the development of Spencerian theories on social dynamics.
Examples
-
Such outcomes would jibe well with the worldview promulgated by The Bell Curve, as politicians will be given new justifications to withhold funds from groups that Herrnstein and Murray's Spencerian view indicates are beyond help.
Academic text (2003) -
The book explores the Spencerian view of society, emphasizing the connection between his philosophy and contemporary political thought.
-
Remnants of the Victorian moral ethic, coupled with the Spencerian notion of survival as proof of excellence, bolstered the prevailing system of white male dominance in social, political, and intellectual endeavors.
Academic text (1990) -
Many political analysts refer to Spencerian concepts when discussing the impact of social evolution on modern governance.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Spencerian = Spencer (semi-transparent) = Spencer + ian
Morphologically clear as the surname plus '-ian', but the sense requires knowledge of Herbert Spencer's writings and ideas to be fully understood.
Etymology
The word Spencerian comes from the name Spencer, meaning Herbert Spencer, a 19th-century thinker who used ideas like 'evolution' to explain how societies change, and the ending -ian means 'related to' or 'a follower of'. So Spencerian ideas are 'of Spencer' and describe social change as a natural process shaped by competition.
