Herbert Spencer's contributions to sociology and his forgotten legacy

Herbert Spencer, an important thinker in relation to sociology, popularized the subject globally. Despite being self-taught, Spencer bridged the gap between Victorian morality and scientific advancements. He believed in evolution as the principle of causation, demonstrating that everything, including human society and interaction, can be explained through evolution. Spencer argued that industrial society, where individuals have freedom to choose, represented progress from militant societies. He believed government interfered with natural social evolution and that individual self-improvement, rather than politics, was the path to human salvation.