The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics
Philosophy
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics
Economics; Philosophy
Societies which from generation to generation produce in due abundance
individuals who relatively to the requirements are the best physically,
morally, and intellectually, must become the predominant societies, and
must tend through the quiet process of industrial competition to replace
other societies. Consequently, marital relations which favour this
result in the highest degree must spread; while the prevailing
sentiments and ideas must become so moulded into harmony with them that
other relations will be condemned as immoral. The monogamic form of the
sexual relations is manifestly the ultimate form; and any changes to be
anticipated must be in the direction of completion and extension of it.
_II.--Political Organisation_
A society is formed only when, besides juxtaposition there is
co-operation. Co-operation is made possible by society and makes society
possible. It pre-supposes associative men; and men remain associated
only because of the benefits co-operation yields them. But there cannot
be concerted actions without agencies by which actions are adjusted in
their times, amounts, and kinds; and the actions cannot be of different
kinds without the co-operators undertaking different duties. That is to
say, the co-operators must become organised, either voluntarily or
involuntarily.
AGGREGATION
The political evolution manifested by increase of mass is political
aggregation. One of the laws of evolution at large is that integration
results when like units are subject to the same force or the like
forces; and from the first stages of political integration to the last
this law is illustrated. Likeness in the units forming a social group
being one conditioned to their integration, a further condition is their
joint reaction against external action: co-operation in war is the chief
cause of social integration. The temporary unions of savages for offence
and defence show the initiatory steps. When many tribes unite against a
common enemy, long continuance of their combined action makes them
coherent under some common control. And so it is subsequently with still
larger aggregates.
DIFFERENTIATION
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