Is Herbert Spencer a functionalist? Socialist? or Symbolic-interactionist? and why?

Question

Is Herbert Spencer a functionalist? Socialist? or Symbolic-interactionist? and why?

Answer 1

Spencer was one of the most well-known functionalists ever in Sociology. He lived during the height of Darwinism and Positivism, so he thought that natural selection was perfectly applicable to human society. He used "Social Darwinism" to explain that natural selection ensures that the best institutions and people survive and succeed. If natural selection is allowed to operate, society will evolve and progress. Have you ever heard the phrase "survival of the fittest"? Herbert Spencer coined it, not Darwin.

Anytime you see Sociology paired with or compared to Biology, chances are very good that Functionalism theory is involved.

FYI: This theory is extremely unpopular in Sociology today. It's basically saying that whatever exists must exist for a reason since it has survived; it implies that just because an institution, such as capitalism or white dominance, has survived for so long, that must mean it is the best.