Philosophy of style: an essay

Philosophy of style – is an essay written by Herbert Spencer. He was an English philosopher and sociologist, one of the founders of evolutionism, whose ideas were very popular at the end of the 19th century, the founder of the organic school in sociology and an ideologue of liberalism. Spencer was influential in literature and rhetoric. Philosophy of Style explored the growing trend of formalistic approaches to writing. Focusing on the correct placement and ordering of parts of an English sentence, the author has created a guide to effective composition. Spencer sought to free prose writing from as much "friction and inertia" as possible so that the reader would not be slowed down by tense reflections on the correct context and meaning of the sentence. While the overall influence that Philosophy of Style has had on the realm of rhetoric has not been as significant as its contributions to other areas, Spencer's voice has provided authoritative support for formal views of rhetoric.