How did individualism shape Herbert Spencer’s social and political ideas?

Individualism served as the foundational principle of Herbert Spencer’s philosophy, shaping his belief that society exists solely for the benefit of its members, rather than the reverse. He viewed social evolution as a process of increasing "individuation," where societies transition from primitive, coercive military structures to civilized, voluntary industrial societies.1

Spencer’s commitment to the individual led him to advocate for laissez-faire economics and a minimal government. He argued that state intervention—such as public health or education legislation—impeded the natural progress of society by protecting the "unfit" and hindering the success of the most talented. In The Man Versus the State, he warned that such policies represented a "New Toryism" that threatened personal liberty. Ultimately, Spencer believed that true progress required limiting the power of parliaments to ensure that competition could foster the "survival of the fittest," a framework later influential among libertarians opposing the welfare state.12