Wednesday, 2 April 2025

THE BURGESS BOYS (ELIZABETH STROUT) AND THE ORGANIC METAPHOR

 Pam had already established her own interest in science and she saw society as one large organism working with its million, billion cells heaving itself alive. Criminality was a mutation that interested Pam, and she joined tentatively in these discussions.

 

This is a really nice idea and I think it deserves more credit and appreciation. The term organic metaphor was coined by Herbert Spencer who is considered a forefather of Darwin. Society as one large organism or society as an ecosystem are both pretty images. We can compare many things to a living organism: a novel as a living organism, or a family as a living organism, or a school,…

How lucky was Herbert Spencer, a wise man of Science and Philosophy, with the time he lived! I can imagine him, in the 19th century in England, with some money and prestige enjoying in the Royal Society with his mates.



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