Toynbee was noted for his social commitment and desire to improve the living conditions of the working classes. According to Toynbee, applying the historical method in economics would reveal how supposedly universal economic laws were relative. Another idea dismissed was that free competition was universally beneficial to economic and societal progress, especially as reflected in its apotheosis in Social Darwinism.
Background
Toynbee was born in London, England, United Kingdom in 1852, the son of the physician Joseph Toynbee, a pioneering otolaryngologist.
Arnold Toynbee was the uncle, via his brother Harry Valpy Toynbee, of universal historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889–1975); with whom he is often confused.
Education
Bachelor of Arts University Oxford
Career
Coined the phrase ‘industrial revolution’ and introduced the concept of a single, decisive transformation of the British economy in the third quarter the eighteenth century. He turned to economics because of its relevance to social reform, and rejected the deductive in favour of the historical method. He argued that economic policies were appropriate or not, according to historical circumstances, and therefore rejected laissez faire in favour of a kind of municipal socialism for his own time.
He is remembered for his inspiring teaching which influenced many Oxford contemporaries to accept a socially-committed version of economics. Lector, Tuturial Fellow, Balliol College Oxford, 1878-1883.
For Toynbee, early industrial capitalism and the situation of the working class in it was not just a subject of ivory-tower studies; he was actively involved in improving the living conditions of the proletariat. He read for workers in large industrial centres and encouraged the creation of trade unions and co-operatives. A focal point of his commitment was the slum of Whitechapel, in east London, where he helped to establish public libraries for the working class population. Toynbee also encouraged his students to offer free courses for working class audiences in their own neighbourhoods.