One ‘Virtue’ and the poor law in Britain and Ireland in the 1830s
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John Offer
Abstract
This chapter presents an examination of social theory about the poor law in Britain and Ireland in the 1830s. It addresses the prominence Peter Mandler has accorded to the ideas of the ‘Noetics’ in shaping poor law reform in England in the 1830s and the conflict in events heralding the introduction of a poor law to Ireland in 1838, conflict often overlooked but revealing about the foundations of reform in England. The ideological points of dispute over Ireland among the Noetics help to display the English poor law reform in the full context of Noetic concerns of the day. The review of the decisive Noetic and liberal Tory emphasis on virtue, not utility, has also clarified Victorian poor law thought on agency.
Abstract
This chapter presents an examination of social theory about the poor law in Britain and Ireland in the 1830s. It addresses the prominence Peter Mandler has accorded to the ideas of the ‘Noetics’ in shaping poor law reform in England in the 1830s and the conflict in events heralding the introduction of a poor law to Ireland in 1838, conflict often overlooked but revealing about the foundations of reform in England. The ideological points of dispute over Ireland among the Noetics help to display the English poor law reform in the full context of Noetic concerns of the day. The review of the decisive Noetic and liberal Tory emphasis on virtue, not utility, has also clarified Victorian poor law thought on agency.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgements iv
- Foreword v
- Introduction 1
- ‘Virtue’ and the poor law in Britain and Ireland in the 1830s 11
- Spencer and a liberal road to welfare: the eclipse of a vision 29
- Free agent or ‘conscious automaton’? The individual in Spencer’s social theory 53
- The case of older people: social thought and divergent prescriptions for care 75
- Social policy and idealist versus non-idealist thought: the fundamental schism 95
- Idealist thought, social policy and the rediscovery of informal care 129
- Social theory and voluntary action in Britain since 1880 149
- Epilogue: from poor law to Labour’s ‘new idealism’ 167
- Notes 183
- References 197
- Index 215
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgements iv
- Foreword v
- Introduction 1
- ‘Virtue’ and the poor law in Britain and Ireland in the 1830s 11
- Spencer and a liberal road to welfare: the eclipse of a vision 29
- Free agent or ‘conscious automaton’? The individual in Spencer’s social theory 53
- The case of older people: social thought and divergent prescriptions for care 75
- Social policy and idealist versus non-idealist thought: the fundamental schism 95
- Idealist thought, social policy and the rediscovery of informal care 129
- Social theory and voluntary action in Britain since 1880 149
- Epilogue: from poor law to Labour’s ‘new idealism’ 167
- Notes 183
- References 197
- Index 215
