342 THEORETICAL BIOLOGY 



products. Since, however, every state is surrounded by 

 neighbours, and is perpetually at the mercy of their encroach- 

 ments, it always sees itself faced with new contingencies, 

 towards which it must take up a position as a whole. 



Accordingly, like every organism, it requires sense-organs 

 and a steering-apparatus and special action-organs, in order 

 to ward off hostile attacks, if need should arise. All these 

 organs must be formed out of individuals. 



Only such individuals are suited for sense-organs as are 

 specially developed as observers ; otherwise they would only 

 involve injury. 



At the present day we need not waste words on the 

 necessity of having an army as action-organ, all ready to 

 strike. 



Very various views are held as to the best kind of con- 

 struction of the steering-apparatus. There has been miserable 

 failure from all attempts to set in the critical place a large 

 number of individuals who decide by a majority. Individuals 

 are like qualities, the values of which we can weigh one against 

 the other : if we treat them as quantities, the result is always 

 meaningless. So we shall probably continue to place at the 

 head of the community a single being who, freed from youth 

 upwards of all special vocational interests, and concentrating 

 on the interest of the whole, is able to weigh against one 

 another impartially the individuals whom he entrusts with 

 the directing of the community. 



Yet none of these considerations go to the heart of the 

 question — how it is possible to compare a community, con- 

 sisting entirely of separate individuals, with an organism, 

 which, like the body of a living creature, is solely composed 

 of intergrown cells ? On the one hand, we have an anatomical 

 framework, closely knit by means of pegs and sockets ; on 

 the other, a free company of individuals, which, at the sexual 

 mixing of their properties, effect interchange according to the 



