658 THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF INDIVIDUALITY 



have undergone a much farther and individualized development in man, in 

 whom the inner psychical goods have been entirely newly created. This evolu- 

 tion has led to the abolishment of those rigid modes of organization, which 

 characterize the different types of animal societies, and has replaced these 

 by the modifiable constitution of human society which is accessible to direction 

 by rational thought. 



To recapitulate, the evolution of individuality has taken place in two op- 

 posite directions. The body developed from a state of relative variability, 

 which depended upon and was to a large extent directed by the environment, 

 to a state of relative fixity, autonomy and unyieldingness, much less subject 

 to environmental conditions. From the point of view of the bodily organism, 

 the inner constitutional factors have overbalanced therefore the environmen- 

 tal factors to a larger extent in the further advanced organism than in the 

 more primitive ones. There then took place, parallel to the evolution of the 

 body, the evolution of the sense organs, of the central nervous system and 

 of the psychical-social mechanism, in which the environment again has be- 

 come of increasing significance. Associated with these two tendencies in 

 evolution there occurred the development of the social struggle as a manifesta- 

 tion of the greater importance of psychical activity and psychical needs, in 

 contrast to the natural struggle, which was primarily concerned with the 

 satisfaction of the requirements of the body. 



Thus, in matters which relate to man as a psychical-social organism, it is 

 the environment which has become a preponderating influence and which 

 largely determines his fate. To adapt the psychical-social environment to the 

 needs of man, so that he can function in the most adequate manner, is, 

 therefore, the most important task which humanity has now to face. 



