Chapter V. Of Ethology, or the Science of the Formation of Character. § 1. The Empirical Laws of Human Nature 445 2. —are merely approximate generalizations. The universal laws are those of the formation of character 447 [Pg xiv]3. The laws of the formation of character cannot be ascertained by observation and experiment 449 4. —but must be studied deductively 454 5. The Principles of Ethology are the axiomata media of mental science 455 6. Ethology characterized 459 Chapter VI. General Considerations on the Social Science. § 1. Are Social Phenomena a subject of Science? 461 2. Of what nature the Social Science must be 463 Chapter VII. Of the Chemical, or Experimental, Method in the Social Science. § 1. Characters of the mode of thinking which deduces political doctrines from specific experience 466 2. In the Social Science experiments are impossible 468 3. —the Method of Difference inapplicable 469 4. —and the Methods of Agreement, and of Concomitant Variations, inconclusive 471 5. The Method of Residues also inconclusive, and presupposes Deduction 472 Chapter VIII. Of the Geometrical, or Abstract Method. § 1. Characters of this mode of thinking 476 2. Examples of the Geometrical Method 478 3. The interest-philosophy of the Bentham school 479 Chapter IX. Of the Physical, or Concrete Deductive Method. § 1. The Direct and Inverse Deductive Methods 486 2. Difficulties of the Direct Deductive Method in the Social Science 489 3. To what extent the different branches of sociological speculation can be studied apart. Political Economy characterized 492 4. Political Ethology, or the science of national character 497 5. The Empirical Laws of the Social Science 500 6. The Verification of the Social Science 502 [Pg xv] Chapter X. Of the Inverse Deductive, or Historical Method. § 1. Distinction between the general Science of Society, and special sociological inquiries 506 2. What is meant by a State of Society? 506 3. The Progressiveness of Man and Society 508 4. The laws of the succession of states of society can only be ascertained by the Inverse Deductive Method 511 5. Social Statics, or the science of the Coexistences of Social Phenomena 513 6. Social Dynamics, or the science of the Successions of Social Phenomena 521 7. Outlines of the Historical Method 522 8. Future prospects of Sociological Inquiry 525 Chapter XI. Additional Elucidations of the Science of History. § 1. The subjection of historical facts to uniform laws is verified by statistics 529 2. —does not imply the insignificance of moral causes 532 3. —nor the inefficacy of the characters of individuals and of the acts of governments 535 4. The historical importance of eminent men and of the policy of governments illustrated 540