LIFE 365 



enlarge the battle-field, to extend the chaos of opposing 

 interests. But in reality it alters the whole aspect of 

 life. The interest the individual has in developing to the 

 utmost his own powers is a very important factor of 

 change — let us call it Individualism. But the interest 

 individual societies have in developing their resources, in 

 organising themselves owing to the intense struggle which 

 is ever waging between society and society, this is an 

 equally important factor of evolution and one too often 

 forgotten when the doctrines of Darwin are applied to 

 human history. Individual societies have the strongest 

 interest in educating, training, and organising the powers 

 of all their individual members, for these are the sole 

 conditions under which a society can survive in the battle 

 for life. This tendency to social organisation, always 

 prominent in progressive communities, may be termed, in 

 the best and widest sense of the word, Socialism. The 

 socialistic as much as the individualistic tendency is a 

 direct outcome of the fundamental principle of evolution. 

 Finally, there is a third factor of evolution, namely, the 

 profit that arises to humanity at large from common 

 organisation against organic and inorganic foes. The 

 interdependence of mankind throughout the world is be- 

 coming a more and more clearly recognised fact. The 

 failure of human beings in one part of the world to 

 master their physical environment may lead to a famine 

 at their antipodes ; the triumph of the scientists of one 

 nation over a minute bacillus is a victory for all humanity. 

 The development of human control over man's physical 

 and biological environment in all parts of the world is 

 thus of real importance to each individual group. This 

 solidarity of humanity in the struggle with its environ- 

 ment is no less a feature than Individualism or Socialism 

 of the law of evolution. We may perhaps term it 

 Humanism. 



If our analysis has been a correct one it has led us 

 from the simple law of the survival of the fittest to three 

 great factors — Individualism, Socialism, and Humanism — 

 tending to modify human life. Our strong inherited 



