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First Principles
Abstract
In 1862, the British philosopher Herbert Spencer (1820–1903) published this preamble to a planned series of publications on biology, psychology, sociology and morality. In it, he states that religion and science can be reconciled by their shared belief in an Absolute, and that ultimate principles can be discerned in all manifestations of the Absolute, particularly the general laws of nature being discovered by science. Spencer divides his text into two parts. Part I, 'The Unknowable', discusses early philosophical ideas that human knowledge is limited and cannot meaningfully conceive of God; faith must be the bridge between human experience and ultimate truth. Spencer refutes this as he examines religion and science in detail. In Part II, 'Laws of the Knowable', Spencer argues that religion and science can be reconciled in the underlying unity from which the visible complexity of the universe has evolved.
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“The first, is that the stratigraphic schema was created by Spencer.”
From Defining and Measuring Human Development: A Genealogical Analysis of the UNDP’s Human Development Reports (2023) · cites this paper as Spencer 2009
In the citing paper
“He conceptualized the evolution of the universe-planets, plants, humans and societies alike-as guided by a universal law:”
From Defining and Measuring Human Development: A Genealogical Analysis of the UNDP’s Human Development Reports (2023) · cites this paper as Spencer 2009
In the citing paper
“Within this theoretical schema, Spencer defended that every society, just as every organic being, needed to adapt to the environment (Spencer 2009, p. 147). Such an adaptation implied that societies, 'like other organisms, … [have] to pass in the course of [their] development through temporary forms' (Spencer 2009, p. 256).”
From Defining and Measuring Human Development: A Genealogical Analysis of the UNDP’s Human Development Reports (2023) · cites this paper as Spencer 2009
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Telleria, J. (2023) · The European Journal of Development Research · doi:10.1057/s41287-022-00516-2 · Cited by 10
Vecchi, D., & Baravalle, L. (2014) · History & Philosophy of the Life Sciences · doi:10.1007/s40656-014-0047-5 · Cited by 10
Palagin, A. V., Symonov, D., & Chervynskyi, M. (2025) · International Scientific Technical Journal Problems of Control and Informatics · doi:10.34229/1028-0979-2025-6-7 · Cited by 1
(2019) · Duke University Press eBooks · doi:10.1215/9781478005346-004 · Cited by 1
(2019) · Duke University Press eBooks · doi:10.1215/9781478005346-009
Metadata
- Authors
- Spencer, H.
- Corresponding author
- Spencer, Herbert
- Venue
- Cambridge University Press eBooks
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Published
- 2009-09-24
- OpenAlex
- W394779091
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2019: 11 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cambridge University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Study and Philosophy of Religion
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Legal and Social Philosophy
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Evolution and Science Education
- Keywords
- Herbert Spencer, science and religion, reconciliation of science and religion, absolute, laws of nature, limits of human knowledge, faith, evolution, philosophy of religion
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