How did Herbert Spencer use the law of the multiplication of effects to explain development?

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Portrait of British philosopher Herbert Spencer, shown with a receding hairline, long sideburns, and formal attire. — Herbert Spencer Herbert Spencer.

Herbert Spencer utilized the law of the multiplication of effects to explain development by arguing that nothing homogeneous can remain unchanged when acted upon by an external force.1

Because any external force necessarily impacts different parts of a homogeneous entity in varying ways, it inevitably introduces difference and variety. Spencer posited that if a force continues to act upon such an entity, it will produce an ever-increasing degree of variety. He viewed this process as the fundamental clue to understanding all forms of development, whether cosmic or biological.1

This principle was a central component of his synthetic philosophy, which sought to unify the principles of various sciences into a comprehensive framework of evolution.12