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Formulating an anarchist sociology: Peter Kropotkin's reading of Herbert Spencer
The work of Herbert Spencer was a crucial influence on the development of Peter Kropotkin’s historical sociology. However, scholars have underestimated this relationship; either overlooking it entirely, or minimizing Kropotkin’s attachment to Spencer with the aim of maintaining the utility of his po...
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| Format: | Default Article |
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2016
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/2134/22760 |
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| _version_ | 1818171876250222592 |
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| author | Matthew Adams |
| author_facet | Matthew Adams |
| author_sort | Matthew Adams (2835197) |
| collection | Figshare |
| description | The work of Herbert Spencer was a crucial influence on the development of Peter Kropotkin’s historical sociology. However, scholars have underestimated this relationship; either overlooking it entirely, or minimizing Kropotkin’s attachment to Spencer with the aim of maintaining the utility of his political thought in the present. This article contests these interpretations by analyzing Kropotkin’s reading of Spencer’s epistemological, biological, and political ideas. It argues that Kropotkin was engaged in a critical dialogue with Spencer, incorporating many Spencerian principles in his own system, but also using this reading to articulate a distinctive anarchist politics. |
| format | Default Article |
| id | rr-article-9468755 |
| institution | Loughborough University |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| record_format | Figshare |
| spelling | rr-article-94687552016-01-01T00:00:00Z Formulating an anarchist sociology: Peter Kropotkin's reading of Herbert Spencer Matthew Adams (2835197) Political science not elsewhere classified Anarchism Peter Kropotkin Herbert Spencer Evolutionary theory Individualist anarchism Social science Political Science not elsewhere classified The work of Herbert Spencer was a crucial influence on the development of Peter Kropotkin’s historical sociology. However, scholars have underestimated this relationship; either overlooking it entirely, or minimizing Kropotkin’s attachment to Spencer with the aim of maintaining the utility of his political thought in the present. This article contests these interpretations by analyzing Kropotkin’s reading of Spencer’s epistemological, biological, and political ideas. It argues that Kropotkin was engaged in a critical dialogue with Spencer, incorporating many Spencerian principles in his own system, but also using this reading to articulate a distinctive anarchist politics. 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 2134/22760 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Formulating_an_anarchist_sociology_Peter_Kropotkin_s_reading_of_Herbert_Spencer/9468755 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 |
| spellingShingle | Political science not elsewhere classified Anarchism Peter Kropotkin Herbert Spencer Evolutionary theory Individualist anarchism Social science Political Science not elsewhere classified Matthew Adams Formulating an anarchist sociology: Peter Kropotkin's reading of Herbert Spencer |
| title | Formulating an anarchist sociology: Peter Kropotkin's reading of Herbert Spencer |
| title_full | Formulating an anarchist sociology: Peter Kropotkin's reading of Herbert Spencer |
| title_fullStr | Formulating an anarchist sociology: Peter Kropotkin's reading of Herbert Spencer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Formulating an anarchist sociology: Peter Kropotkin's reading of Herbert Spencer |
| title_short | Formulating an anarchist sociology: Peter Kropotkin's reading of Herbert Spencer |
| title_sort | formulating an anarchist sociology: peter kropotkin's reading of herbert spencer |
| topic | Political science not elsewhere classified Anarchism Peter Kropotkin Herbert Spencer Evolutionary theory Individualist anarchism Social science Political Science not elsewhere classified |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/2134/22760 |