Physics and Politics, or, Thoughts on the application of the principles of "natural selection" and "inheritance" to political societyBagehot, Walter
Philosophy
Physics and Politics, or, Thoughts on the application of the principles of "natural selection" and "inheritance" to political society
Bagehot, Walter
Evolution; Nationalism; Political science
In all particulars therefore we would keep to our formula, and say that
pre-historic man was substantially a savage like present savages, in
morals, intellectual attainments, and in religion; but that he differed
in this from our present savages, that he had not had time to ingrain
his nature so deeply with bad habits, and to impress bad beliefs so
unalterably on his mind as they have. They have had ages to fix the
stain on them selves, but primitive man was younger and had no such
time.
I have elaborated the evidence for this conclusion at what may seem
needless and tedious length, but I have done so on account of its
importance. If we accept it, and if we are sure of it, it will help us
to many most important conclusions. Some of these I have dwelt upon in
previous papers, but I will set them down again.
First, it will in part explain to us what the world was about, so to
speak, before history. It was making, so to say, the intellectual
consistence--the connected and coherent habits, the preference of
equable to violent enjoyment, the abiding capacity to prefer, if
required, the future to the present, the mental pre-requisites without
which civilisation could not begin to exist, and without which it would
soon cease to exist even had it begun. The primitive man, like the
present savage, had not these pre-requisites, but, unlike the present
savage, he was capable of acquiring them and of being trained in them,
for his nature was still soft and still impressible, and possibly,
strange as it may seem to say, his outward circumstances were more
favourable to an attainment of civilisation than those of our present
savages. At any rate, the pre-historic times were spent in making men
capable of writing a history, and having something to put in it when it
is written, and we can see how it was done.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account