SCIENCE AND SOCIAL PROGRESS 251 



of sociology in order that the reform, which would evidently be radical, 

 may be made in accordance with the natural laws of growth and with 

 as little shock as may be to the social body. 



Finally the social sciences supplement the natural and biological 

 sciences by making their work more effective. The science of politics 

 should perfect the general social organization and promote efficiency in 

 all kinds of collective activity. The science of economics should aid in 

 the conquest of nature by a better direction of the agents of production 

 and exchange and should further human efficiency and well being by 

 improving the process of the distribution of wealth. Similarly, juris- 

 prudence, ethics and other social sciences should help to eliminate those 

 who seek to prey upon society and should smoothe out the social rela- 

 tions of the rest. 



The social sciences, therefore, the last of the three groups, eon- 

 tribute to progress by correcting certain evils left by the other sciences, 

 by improving social conditions, and by perfecting social organization so 

 as to increase social and, therefore, individual efficiency. 



To sum up, the natural sciences developed first, because man was 

 first interested in the conquest of nature and the simpler physical laws 

 could be grasped at an early period. This period brought an increase 

 of wealth but it was wasteful of human life. The desire to save life led 

 the way to the study of biology and this study was made possible in a 

 scientific way because of the enlightenment which came with the spread 

 of knowledge. Knowledge of the physical environment and of life, 

 however, did not prevent social disease from flourishing and did not 

 greatly improve the social condition of a large part of society. To over- 

 come these defects the social sciences within recent years have been 

 cultivated with great seriousness. It is true that social conditions from 

 very early times have been such as to demand a knowledge of the social 

 sciences, but men's interests have not turned in that direction except in 

 one or two cases, in a limited way. Interest in the social sciences has 

 had to wait for the enlarged sympathies and the sense of solidarity 

 which has appeared with the growing interdependence of dense popu- 

 lations, and these conditions have been dependent upon the advance of 

 the other sciences. 



"With the cultivation of the social sciences, then, the chain of knowl- 

 edge will be complete, at least so far as the needs which have already 

 appeared are concerned. For each group of sciences will solve one or 

 more of the great problems which man has encountered in the process of 

 development. The physical sciences will solve the problems of environ- 

 ment, the biological sciences the problems of life, and the social sciences 

 the problems of society. 



