The Influence of Herbert Spencer’s Evolutonary Naturalistic Philosophy on American Education

217 Pages·09.995 MB·English

by  Hart, John Richard

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE SCHOOL
March...5., 1942.
This dissertation prepared under my direction by
John :JU... Hart............................................................................ ........................
entitled Th<a...I?tflue*ica...0£..Hs^.fc^
ijstic...Philosophy...on ..............................................
has been accepted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
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(Faculty vidviser)

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THE INFLUENCE OF HERBERT SPENCER1S EVOLUTIONARY NATURALISTIC
PHILOSOPHY ON AMERICAN EDUCATION
BY
JOHN RICHARD HART
Ed#M,, Boston College Graduate School, *33
DISSERTATION
SUBMITTED- IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE GRADUATE
DEPARTMENT OF THE SCHOOL OF . EDUCATION OF FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
NEW YORK
1943.
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TABUS OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
1. INTRODUCTION. . .......1
E. SPUNCUR, THU NONCONFORMIST................ ,..... 5
5. SPENCER’S EVOLUTIONARY NATURALISTIC
PHILOSOPHY.................... . 35
4. THE DIRECT INFLUENCE OF SPENCER’S EVOLUTIONARY
NATURALISTIC PHILOSOPHY ON AMERICAN EDUCATORS
AND THEORISTS ............................ 69
5. THE-INDIRECT INFLUENCE OF SPENCER’S THOUGHT
ON AMERICAN EDUCATION............. ....148
6 . CONCLUSION.......... 197
BIBLIOGRAPHY.......................... 205
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THE INFLUENCE OF HERBERT SPENCER*S EVOLUTIONARY NATURALISTIC
PHILOSOPHY ON AMERICAN EDUCATION
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this study is to show the influence of
Herbert Spencerrs Evolutionary Naturalistic Philosophy on
American education. The term influence is used in the
title to denote two things# First, that Spencer’s
evolutionary naturalistic philosophy was accepted, and
acknowledged to be accepted in part or in substantial
completeness, by certain American educators and theorists.
This kind of influence is called direct influence. The
direct influence of Spencer’s thought on American education,
therefore, is shown in his influence on distinguished
American educators and theorists; namely, on Fiske,
Youmans, Eliot, Hall, Barnard, White, Ward, and Sumner.
Besides exercising direct influence upon the listed
educators and theorists, there was an indirect kind of
influence that Spencer’s thought unquestionably exercised
on American education. This type of influence, the
indirect, is dependent largely for demonstration upon
inference from American educational developments and
educational changes that took place during the last half
of the nineteenth century.
The term American Education, as used in this study,
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denotes the American educators and theorists already
listed. It also denotes the public and private graduate
schools, colleges, normal schools, high schools, and the
public elementary schools. It refers specifically to the
aim and the curricula of these schools.
The term Spencer’s Evolutionary Naturalistic
Philosophy denotes a brief, clear exposition of his
position on basic questions, such as, God, the origin of
the universe and of man, the soul, free will, original
sin, etc., for the purpose of indicating the relation of
his philosophy to his educational principles.
The study is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1
is the introduction. The recurrent theme of the second
chapter emphasizes almost to the exclusion of everything
else, that by birth and training, as well as by youthful
interests, Spencer was a nonconformist and that this
trait led to the growth and development of his evolutionary
naturalism. Chapter three gives the main points in his
philosophical position and indicates their application to
his educational philosophy. A brief criticism of his
educational philosophy is given in that chapter. Chapter
four is devoted to showing the direct influence of Spencer’s
thought on eight distinguished American educators and
theorists. The fifth chapter, in the main, deals with
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Spencer’s indirect influence on American education. The
last chapter is the conclusion.
The primary sources for Spencer were readily accessible
and they were relied upon, almost to the exclusion of other
aids, in the attempt to indicate his nonconformity and to
describe his philosophy and education. Of the educators
and theorists who were influenced by Spencer, considerable
material could be found. However, except for Hall and
White, autobiographies were lacking. Biographies of
practically all of the men were available as well as most
of their written works. General references on almost all
of the educators and theorists were plentiful.
Much of the information gathered to show the indirect
influence of Spencer’s thought on American education was
obtained from the educators studied and particularly from
the .Annual Reports of the United States Commissioner of
Education and the Annual Reports of the National Education­
al Association. Some of the earliest of the Circulars of
Information of the United States Bureau of Education were
quite useful, as well as other publications of that bureau.
The Fonular Science Monthly was valuable for indicating
the course of the controversy between the classics and
science. There were the reports of various committees on
education such as those appointed by the American Associa­
tion for the Advancement of Science, the American Society
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