34 EVOLUTION AND ETHICS 



fluence of which he owes, if not existence itself, at least 

 the life of something better than a brutal savage. 



It is from neglect of these plain considerations that 

 the fanatical individualism of our time attempts to 

 applv the analogy of cosmic nature to society. Once 

 more we have a misapplication of the stoical injunction 

 to follow nature ; the duties of the individual to the 

 state are forgotten and his tendencies to self-asser- 

 tion are dignified by the name of rights. It is 

 seriously debated whether the members of a com- 

 munity are justified in using their combined 

 strength to constrain one of their number to 

 contribute his share to the maintenance of it ; or 

 even to prevent him from doing his best to destroy 

 it. The struggle for existence, which has done such 

 admirable work in cosmic nature, must, it appears, 

 be equally beneficent in the ethical sphere. Yet 

 if that which I have insisted upon is true ; if 

 the cosmic process has no sort of relation to moral 

 ends ; if the imitation of it by man is inconsistent 

 with the first principles of ethics ; what becomes of 

 this surprising theory ? 



Let us understand, once for all, that the ethical 

 progress of society depends, not on imitating the 

 cosmic process, still less in running away from it, but 

 in combating it. It may seem an audacious proposal 

 thus to pit the microcosm against the macrocosm 

 and to set man to subdue nature to his higher ends ; 

 but, I venture to think that the great intellectual 

 difference between the ancient times with which we 

 have been occupied and our day, lies in the solid 



