Herbert Spencer is best known for his bio-organismic conception of society. According to him,” society is not merely a collection of individuals, it is more than that , just as an organism is more than a mere collection of cells”. Spencer came to Sociology via Biology .Therefore, he drew analogy between the society and the biological organism.” so completely is society organised on the same system as an individual”, he argued, “ that we may perceive something more than an analogy between them,the same definition of life applied to both biological and social organism. Spencer believed that the social structure is a living organism.It is made up of parts which can be distinguished but which cannot survive or exist except within the frame work of society.
Spencer wanted to explain clearly the nature of social structure by the help of this theory. He tried to point out certain striking similarities between the individual living organism and society on account of which the individual may be regarded as microcosmic society and society as macrocosmic individual:
The similarities between the society and individual organism as drawn by Herbert Spenser are as follow:
1-Difference from inanimate bodies:
The first similarity between a living Organism and society is their difference from inanimate bodies. None of them is Inanimate. in inanimate there is no growth and development, but on the other hand, There is continuous growth and development in both society and living organism., on Account of their common difference from the inanimate bodies, society and living Organism may be regarded to be similar.
2- Increase in quantity leads to change in structure:
The second similarity In society and living organism is that increase of quantity in both leads to change in Their structure. accordingly to spencer as there in increase in the quantity of their living organism there is change in it’s structure. the primitive living organism is a Unicellular creature: but with the increase in the cells differentiation of organs results.at the higher level of evolution structure of the body becomes quite, complex, similar is the case with society. in the beginning the structure of society is very simple. At this level each individual does all the work by himself and there is no differentiation of functions. Each man himself is a crafts man, hunter, sculptor etc. but with the quantities increase in society the structure becomes more and more complex and there is increasing differentiation of function in society. Like the organs of the society the functions in society become specialised.
3.Change in Structure Leads to change in Function:
With the change in the structure, organs and communities there results a change in their function. The function becomes more and more specialised. This applies to the body of a life creature. With the changes in the structure of organs, there is change in its functions.
4.Diffrentiation as well as harmony of organs :
While it is true that with the evolution there develops greater differentiation in the organs of society as also that of an individual, but side of this differentiation there is also harmony between various organs. Each organ is complementary of other and mot opposed. This holds true both in the body in the body of living organism and society.
5.Loss of an organs does not necessarily result in the loss of Organism-
The society as well as the individual is an organism. It is a fact common to both that a loss of some organ does not necessarily results in the death of an organism. If one individual loss his hand it is not necessary that this may result in his death. Similarly, in society loss a particular association does not necessarily mean death of the society.
6.Similar processes and methods of organisation-
There is another similarity between the society and living organism. According to Spencer as there are various systems, respiratory circulatory system etc. similarly various systems in the social organism responsible for its efficient functioning in society, transport system, production and distribution systems etc., fulfil their respective roles. Thus, Spencer has shown similarly between a living organism and the society.
Differences between Social and Individual Organism
Along with pointing the similarities between the individual organism and the society, Herbert Spencer spelled the differences between them. He said, “the parts of animal from a concrete whole, but the parts of society from a whole which is discrete. While the living units composing the other are bound together in close contact, the living units composing the other are free, are not in contact, and are more or less widely dispersed.” In other words, the organism is a concrete, integrated whole whereas society is a whole composed of discrete and dispersed elements. “In the biological organism consciousness is small part of the aggregate. In the social organism it is diffused throughout the aggregate: all the units possess the capacity for happiness and misery, if not in equal degree, still in degrees that approximate. As, then, there is no social sensorium the welfare of the aggregate, considered apart from that of the units, is not end to be sought. The society exists for the benefit of its members; not its members for the benefits of society.”
Thus there are certain crucial difference between the society and living organism which cannot be overlooked. these are :
- The parts of body are incapable of independent existence but parts of societies can exist independently.
Explaining the difference between a living organism and society, Spencer observes that whereas the various organs of the body are incapable of independent existence same is not the case with society. The various parts of society can exist independently. whereas the limbs of body like hand, leg etc., Cannot be conceived to exist outside of body there is no such difficulty in conceiving the independent existence of family association etc., apart from society.
- Difference regarding centrality of consciousness.
There is another difference between the society and a living organism. the difference pertains to consciousness. In a living organism there is one central consciousness which is conscious of the whole body. there is no separate consciousness and thinking power in the various part of the body on the other hand in society there is no central consciousness, only individual possesses consciousness.
- Difference regarding dependence of Organs on Organism.
Both the society and the individual are the organisms. The organs of society are individuals, Family, group etc., and the parts of body are its various organs. According to Spencer parts of the body are dependent upon the body. Their existence is for the sake of body. On the other hand, in society its parts are more significant than the society. indeed society exits for the good of its constituents. Spencer was a thinker, he had affinity with individualist philosophy, according to which the state and society exist for the good of the individual and not vice versa.
Spencer maintains that we can understand society best, if we compare it with an organism. He thinks that society is like a biological system. a greater organism, alike in its structure and its functions. Like an organism, society is also subject to the same process of gradual growth or development from a simple to complex state. Like any organism, society also exhibits differentiation in functions, and integration of structure. In this connection, it must be noted that Spencer does not subscribe to the view that society is an organism; he maintains it only as an analogy. Spencer indicates that society resembles an organism in the following important respects:
(1) both grow or develop gradually;
(2) both begin as germs:
(3) both exhibit differentiation in structure and functions:
(4) in both there also exists close integration or inter-dependence of parts:
(5) both are composed of units (cells in case of organism and individuals in case of society):
(6) in both cases individual units have no existence apart from the whole;
(7) both have a special sustaining distributive system (circulation of blood through veins in an organism, and circulation of goods through transport and commercial services in a society), and a special regulating system (nervous system in an mental system in a society);
(8) both as an or alimentary system, a special circulatory or organism and govern complex in they grow, become more structure.
With the above-mentioned similarities, there are, however, certain points of dis-similarities also. Society is also unlike organism in the following important respects: (1) In organic growth, nature plays a dominant role: ‘an organism naturally grows. On the other hand, social growth may be checked, or stimulated by cells, but they lose their identity when integrated with in the organic whole. They have no separate life or existence. But within a society an individual can
be fitted as a constituent part of the social whole, while maintaining its own distinctive character and its separate individual life. (3) The discrete character of the social organism and the concrete nature of the animal organism is another fundamental difference. (4) In an organism, consciousness is concentrated in the small part of the aggregate, that is, in the nervous system, while in a society is diffused throughout the whole aggregate.
In brief, Spencer made a fruitful attempt to establish a theory of organic analogy on the basis of evolutionary principles by making a detailed analysis of similarities and differences between human society and biological organism. And in later writings, Spencer used the organic analogy and continued to build his theory of evolution.