3H. vi.] THE ATTITUDE OF PHILOSOPHY. 495 



in which human nature will have become so moulded by 

 social discipline into fitness for the social state, that it will 

 need little external restraint, but will be self-restrained ; 

 one in which the citizen will tolerate no interference with 

 his freedom, save that which maintains the equal freedom 

 of others ; one in which the spontaneous cooperation which 

 has developed our industrial system, and is now developing 

 it with increased rapidity, will produce agencies for the dis 

 charge of nearly all social functions, and will leave to the 

 primary governmental agency nothing beyond the function 

 of maintaining those conditions to free action, which make 

 such spontaneous cooperation possible ; one in which 

 individual life will thus be pushed to the greatest extent 

 consistent with social life ; and in which social life will 

 have no other end than to maintain the completest sphere 

 for individual life.&quot; 1 



If the scrutiny of these contrasted theorems still leaves 

 us in any doubt as to the retrograde character of Comte s 

 ideal society, a single practical illustration will more than 

 suffice to convince us. We have seen that certain Jacobins 

 of the Commune announced their intention to permit scien 

 tific research only to such persons as might succeed in 

 convincing an examining- committee of average citizens that 

 their researches were likely to be of direct practical value. 

 I need not say that, if such a rule could be enforced, the 

 intellectual advancement of mankind would be instantly 

 arrested. It is interesting to observe that Comte enter 

 tained an intention not wholly dissimilar to this. Disgusted 

 with the insatiable curiosity which leads scientific thinkers 

 to pry into the secrets of nature in all directions at once, 

 often spending years upon subjects which to self-complacent 

 ignorance or Philistinism seem entirely trivial, Comte 

 ^nactod that &quot; some one problem should always be selected, 

 Jhe solution of which would be more important than any 



1 Spencer, Recent Disciissicns, p. 123. 



