COMTE TO BENJAMIN KIDD 



Now, Weismann had riddled his own position with qualifications 

 Kidd also appeals to biology by a doctrine of the social organism ; but 

 everything here depends on philosophy, not biology (3) First, the 

 doctrine of reason ; reason is formal, as with A. J. Balfour, Darwin, 

 Drummond For Mr. Kidd also holds that biological law applies 

 without a break to rational man Yet reason disturbs process of 

 evolution And Bagehot, Stephen, Drummond have noted other 

 changes due to it Can it be wholly evil? Balfour and Kidd 

 repudiate Kant or Coleridge's deeper sense of " reason " But they 

 cannot avoid such sense if it lies in the word and in the fact (4) 

 Secondly, doctrine of religion as anti-rational Not = " future judg- 

 ment " ; that is rational ! Can we believe the irrational ? Does 

 not Kidd tamper with Christian equalitarianism ? Biologically ; 

 variation may be purposeful and professive Historically ; reason is 

 progressive ; by rational methods Religion its fulfilment It needs 

 a force to give it motive and constancy. 



CHAPTER XX 



SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 



Self-contradictions Comte is arbitrary Biology has been reinforced by 

 evolutionary theories, yielding different forms of sociological doctrine 

 1. Analogy, without struggle ; Stephen 2. Continuity, without 

 struggle ; Spencer, Alexander (partly) 3. Analogy of Darwinism ; 

 Bagehot, Alexander, Ritchie (?) 4. Continuity of natural selection ; 

 Sutherland, Drummond (?), Kidd None of these wholly succeed ; 

 old authorities will return ! Or idealism, which is compatible with 

 the old authorities, may give us a more satisfying doctrine of evolu- 

 tion What have we been taught? (1) A social organism exists 

 Idealism reinforces this lesson (2) Struggle has been useful ; will 

 it not be ? as discussion ? as competition ? In light of idealism this 

 seems possible Of fact, probable Must not exaggerate its place ; 

 it is subordinate in life of reason [Mallock] Finally, does pro- 

 gressiveness of evolution make it a guide to conduct ? Difficulties in 

 biology ; environment constant ? Some forms have stopped ! Some 

 never started ! Differentiation plainer here than progress Reason 

 makes for progress in history Is it all-sufficient ? (Mill, Buckle) 

 Ancient civilisation failed Morality and Christianity must safeguard 

 modern civilisation. 



