122 COMTE TO BENJAMIN KIDD PART in 



the psychical and political forces of imitation and cus- 

 tom. Thirdly ; he does not to any great extent connect 

 the other side of politics progress, social dynamics 

 with natural selection in the strict sense. Progress as 

 well as stability rests upon imitation and upon the 

 possibility of loans in culture. To a certain extent pro- 

 gress rests upon war but not upon wars of extermina- 

 tion ; not, therefore, on elimination of the unfit and 

 survival of none but the fittest. Mainly progress is due 

 to the habit of political discussion, and to happy circum- 

 stances giving that habit great effect. In other words, 

 Bagehot's social dynamics centre round a purely political 

 idea. Not the biological analogy but special historical 

 knowledge has been his guide. Darwin has set him 

 thinking, but Darwinism has not mastered or over- 

 mastered the course of his thought. This is not said by 

 way of blame or disparagement, but in order that we 

 may reach a precise view of the nature of Bagehot's 

 contribution, and may understand how it differs from 

 other contributions with which we have still to deal. 



NOTE B. On Professor Ritchie's " Darwinism, 

 and Politics " 



[Professor Ritchie's bright little book does not pro- 

 pose to apply Darwinism to the details of social life or 

 history. It deals with the question whether the applica- 

 tion holds good in principle whether or not Darwinism 

 really applies to politics. Unfortunately it is not easy 

 to harmonise the teaching of the different essays. The 

 bearing of the first essay is as follows : Whatever pre- 

 sumptions are established by a Darwinian view of the 

 origin of man, there is no ground for believing that social 

 progress necessarily implies struggle ; reason has come in 



