194 COSMIC PHILOSOPHY. [PT. n. 



that certain races have never advanced in civilization. For 

 this, Mr. Adam accuses him of virtually dividing mankind 

 into two differently-constituted races, of which the one 

 possesses, while the other lacks, the inherent tendency toward 

 perfection ! * He might as well maintain that because we 

 admit that certain men are stunted, while others grow tall, 

 we divide mankind into two differently-constituted races, of 

 which the one possesses while the other lacks, the inherent 

 tendency toward increase in size. Closely allied to this 

 fallacy is that which associates lateness in time with com 

 pleteness in development, and requires us to assume that 

 nowhere at any time has there been a temporary retrogression. 

 Thus Mr. Goldwin Smith appears to be confused by the 

 impression that the temporary decline in the moral tone of 

 English society after the Restoration of Charles II., is a fact 

 inconsistent with the doctrine of a general progress. And 

 Mr. Mansel still more preposterously declares that on the 

 theory of progression we ought to regard the polytheism of 

 imperial Rome as a higher form of religion than the earlier 

 Hebrew worship of Jehovah. While another form of the 

 same confusion is to be seen in the attempts which writers 

 imbued w r ith the conception of progress often make, to coax 

 the annals of the past into affirming the uninterrupted 

 advance of civilization. 



These examples show how vaguely the doctrine of progress 

 has hitherto been apprehended. The fallacy of supposing 

 civilization to have proceeded serially, or uniformly, or in 

 consequence of any universal tendency, is nearly akin to the 

 fallacy of classifying the animal kingdom in a series of ascend 

 ing groups, a fruitful source of delusion, which it was Cuvier s 

 great merit to have steadily avoided. The theological habit 

 of viewing progressiveness as a divine gift to man, 2 and the 



1 W. Adam, Theories of History, p. 87. 



*&quot; It is impossible for mere savages to civilize themselves. . . . Con 

 sequently men must at some period have received the rudiments of civilization 



