Elucidating the concept of ‘social self-consciousness’ in Herbert Spencer’s social thought

Abstract

This thesis examines Herbert Spencer’s theoretical social psychology by focusing on his concept of ‘social self-consciousness’ and its connection to his broader social thought. The concept of ‘social self-consciousness’ has been under-represented in the literature on Spencer. The present investigation aims to provide a remedy to this situation. It begins by introducing Spencer as a thinker and reviewing the literature pertaining to his psychological and sociological thought. Particular attention is given to John Elliot Cairnes’s 1875 critique of Spencer’s sociological theory, which contains important questions for the thesis to address. Chapter one explores the consistencies between Spencer’s early work on (social) phrenology and his later (social) psychology, both of which are neglected areas of Spencer’s thought. Chapter two analyses Spencer’s innovative use of ‘association’ and ‘inheritance’ as psychological mechanisms, and how he used them to explain the ‘hard problem of consciousness’ and ‘unity of consciousness’. It also explores Spencer’s novel application of ‘consensus’ as a concept, and its implications for how he understood society as an organism by way of ‘association’. Chapter three develops a Spencerian account of social psychology, emphasising the concepts of ‘agency’ and ‘sympathy’ and addressing key ontological and epistemological concerns. Chapter four presents an original interpretation of Spencer as a sociological social psychologist, with a focus on ‘social self-consciousness’ and its theoretical utility for discovering his sociological social psychology of morals and welfare. The thesis argues that each individual has a unique ‘social self-consciousness’, and that the ‘social self-consciousness’ of each individual contributes to ‘justice’ (or the ‘law of equal freedom’) being extended across the social organism and in the making of social life. The conclusion evaluates how Spencer’s concept of ‘social self-consciousness’ can help us addresses J. E. Cairnes’s conclusions regarding Spencer’s sociological theory.

Date of Award	Mar 2025
Original language	English
Sponsors	Department for the Economy
Supervisor	John Offer (Supervisor), Campbell Killick (Supervisor) & Derek Birrell (Supervisor)