294 ADAPTATION AND PROGRESS 



up through and subdue the one above, as the Romans were 

 captivated by the Greek culture, the barbarians by Roman 

 civilization, or the Mongols by Islam ? " l This is a strong 

 criticism of the neo-Darwinian sociologists and militates against 

 the rigid use of the biological doctrine of selection applied to 

 social progress but it does not militate against the use of the 

 doctrine of adaptation or adjustment, for a new amalgam of 

 cultures is the net result of a multitude of minor struggles, and 

 the new political unit faces the problem of survival through 

 adaptation. Ross seems to recognize this for he says: " The 

 struggle between groups of men involves a testing of the codes 

 and moralities that govern them, and must in the long run con- 

 duce to the triumph of those codes and moralities which strengthen 

 the group over those which do not." In this statement we have an 

 approach to the application of group struggle and survival em- 

 phasized by the neo-Darwinian sociologists. 



As a constructive sociologist Ross may well be classed as an 

 " eclectic " because of the wide use he has made of the discoveries 

 and formulations of others in the same field. He has also formu- 

 lated many new laws but it is difficult to enumerate those due to 

 him alone. 



His most important contribution to our subject along positive 

 lines is to be found in his Social Control. In this he discusses 

 the functions of natural control in securing order and progress 

 under the four headings of " sympathy," " sociability," " sense 

 of justice," and " individual reaction." The role of each is 

 presented in strong terms, but each and all together are found 

 unequal to the task of securing social order and progress. 



This is followed by a consideration of the " need," " direction," 

 and " radiant points " of social control. In Part II we are pre- 

 sented with an able survey of the " means of control " such as 

 public opinion, law, belief, social suggestion including education 

 and custom, social religion, personal ideals, ceremony, art, 

 personality, enlightenment and illusion. With the exception of 

 law and personal ideals these forces for the most part act in such 

 a way as to make it possible to classify the process by which 



1 Social Control, p. 340. 



