SOCIAL AND ETHICAL PROBLEMS IN THE SYNTHETIC PHILOSOPHY OF HERBERT SPENCER

Abstract

The article analyzes the leading theoretical views of the English philosopher Herbert Spencer, one of the leading theorists of positivism, the founder of the organic school of sociology and pragmatic ethics. The basic provisions of his synthetic philosophy are considered, the strengths and disputes of his concept are analyzed; special emphasis is placed on the development of the theory of social institutions and ethical problems. The author notes that social institutions were for the first time classified and analyzed from the point of view of evolutionary theory, as well as considered on a vast historical and ethnographic material: the more complex society becomes, the more significant role social institutions play and social and ethical problems are actualized.