What ideas did Herbert Spencer present in Social Statics?

In his 1851 work Social Statics, British philosopher Herbert Spencer introduced his foundational evolutionary scheme for human society.12

Key ideas presented in the text include:

• Individuation: Spencer characterized social evolution as a process of increasing "individuation," where societies progress from undifferentiated hordes into complex civilizations through an expanding division of labour.1
• Societal Classification: He distinguished between two primary types of societies: military societies, where cooperation is enforced by power, and industrial societies, where cooperation is voluntary and spontaneous.1
• Individualism: A central theme of the work is the moral superiority of individualism. Spencer argued that society exists solely for the benefit of its individual members, rather than the members existing for the benefit of the society.1

Spencer viewed the transition toward an industrial society as a move toward a more civilized and "good" order, contrasting it with the primitive nature of despotism.1