ACTIVE SOCIAL ADAPTATION 295 



society is thus moulded, under passive adaptation. In law and 

 consciously directed public opinion we have " social telesis "; in 

 personal ideals, art, personality, enlightenment and social religion, 

 we have " individual telesis " yet working for social control 

 through suggestion and imitation in which the passive element 

 predominates. 



In considering the " genesis of ethical elements," variations in 

 the discovery and enunciation of moral truths are held to be 

 due to the prophet or moral genius owing to his superior social 

 insight, 1 and the successful promulgation of these truths, to the 

 elite. But variations having been accounted for in this way 

 through " innovation," the ultimate triumph of the principle is 

 held to be due to struggle and survival, the decisive factor being 

 social utility. 2 



In his discussion of " the system of control " we have an 

 analysis of the functions and methods of control as exercised in 

 organized government. First to be considered is class control 

 which is defined as " the exercise of power by a parasitic class in 

 its own interest," as in the case of slavery and serfdom. 

 Under class control private property develops and " is so shaped 

 as to permit a slanting exploitation under which a class is able to 

 live in idleness by monopolizing land or other indispensable 

 natural means of production." The system of class control is 

 modified " to economize coercion, to economize supervision, to 

 economize direction." 3 As the parasitic class in control cannot 

 easily bolster up their authority by use of art, personality and 

 social religion, which emanate from the great man, the prophet 

 or the elite, use is made of force, superstition, fraud, pomp and 

 prescription which are degenerate forms of those natural supports 

 of social order already considered, viz., law, belief in the super- 

 natural, custom, ceremony and illusion. 4 " Born in aggression 

 and perfected in exploitation," Ross says, " the State even now, 

 when it is more and more directed by the common will, is not easy 

 to keep from slipping back into the rut it wore for itself during the 

 centuries it was the engine of a parasitic class." 5 



1 Social Control, p. 357. 3 Ibid., pp. 376, 377. 5 Ibid., p. 386. 



2 Ibid., pp. 342, 349, 357. * Ibid., pp. 381, 382, 386 f. 



