Why did Matthew Arnold contrast culture with anarchy in Victorian England?

In his 1869 work Culture and Anarchy, Matthew Arnold contrasted culture with anarchy to address the lack of standards and direction he perceived in Victorian England’s emerging democracy.12

Arnold defined culture as the "study of perfection," a pursuit aimed at making "reason and the will of God prevail" by applying fresh, informed intelligence to societal habits. In contrast, he viewed the prevailing mood of the time as "anarchy"—a state characterized by the absence of a unifying sense of direction.12

To analyze this, Arnold categorized English society into three groups:
* Barbarians: The aristocracy, noted for their serenity and manners but inaccessible to new ideas.12
* Philistines: The commercial middle class, who possessed energy and morality but lacked "sweetness and light".12
* Populace: The working class, which he described as still raw and blind.12

Arnold argued that the Philistines were the most influential segment of society. He believed that by educating and humanizing them, the nation could move beyond its provinciality and toward its collective "best self," represented by the ideal of the State rather than any single class.12