52 INTRODUCTION. 



work " was practically complete before his intellect 

 had any opportunity of realizing the full transform- 

 ing effect in the higher regions of thought, and, more 

 particularly, in the department of sociology, of that 

 development of biological science which began with 

 Darwin, which is still in full progress, and to which 

 Professor Weismann has recently made the most 

 notable contributions." x Whether Mr. Spencer's 

 ignorance or his science has been at the bottom of 

 the escape, it is at least a lucky one. For if Mr. 

 Kidd had realized " the full transforming effect " 

 of the following paragraph, much of his book could 

 not have been written. " The most general conclusion 

 is that in order of obligation, the preservation of the 

 species takes precedence of the preservation of the 

 individual. It is true that the species has no existence 

 save as an aggregate of individuals ; and it is true that, 

 therefore, the welfare of the species is an end to be 

 subserved only as subserving the welfare of individ- 

 uals. But since disappearance of the species, imply- 

 ing absolute disappearance of all individuals, involves 

 absolute failure in achieving the end, whereas disap- 

 pearance of individuals though carried to a great 

 extent, may leave outstanding such numbers as can, 

 by continuance of the species, make subsequent fulfil- 

 ment of the end possible ; the preservation of the 

 individual must, in a variable degree according to 

 circumstances, be subordinated to the preservation of 

 the species, where the two conflict." 2 



What Mr. Kidd has succeeded, and splendidly 

 succeeded, in doing is to show that Nature as inter- 

 preted in terms of the Struggle for Life contains no 



1 Op. cit., p. 80 2 Principles of Ethics, Vol. n., p. 6. 



