December 08

Born in Lausanne in 1767, Benjamin Constant began his career as a writer and political activist during the French Revolution. His novel Adolphe, published in 1816, became a classic of Romantic literature, exploring themes of love and personal freedom. In political theory, his work Principes de politique applied to la religion was influential in developing modern liberalism, advocating for constitutional monarchy and civil liberties. He served in the Chamber of Deputies under the July Monarchy and engaged in public debates on individual rights. Constant died in 1830, his ideas continuing to shape liberal thought in Europe.

Herbert Spencer was born in 1820 in Derby, England. A polymath, he contributed to biology, anthropology, sociology, and philosophy, advocating a universal 'law of evolution.' Spencer's phrase 'survival of the fittest' popularized evolutionary ideas in social sciences and politics. He authored key works such as 'First Principles' and 'The Principles of Sociology,' shaping early sociological thought. His views influenced debates on individualism, state intervention, and social progress in the Victorian era. He died in 1903, remembered as a leading 19th-century thinker and proponent of social Darwinism.