522 LOGIC OF THE MORAL SCIENCES. 



Wishing the filiation, directly from laws of human nature, 

 without having first ascertained the immediate or deriva- 

 tive laws according to which social states generate one 

 another as society advances ; the axiomata media of General 

 Sociology. 



The empirical laws which are most readily obtained hy 

 generalization from history do not amount to this. They are 

 not the "middle principles" themselves, but only evidence 

 towards the establishment of such principles. They consist of 

 certain general tendencies which may be perceived in society ; 

 a progressive increase of some social elements and diminution 

 of others, or a gradual change in the general character of 

 certain elements. It is easily seen, for instance, that as 

 society advances, mental tend more and more to prevail over 

 bodily qualities, and masses over individuals : that the occu- 

 pation of all that portion of mankind who are not under ex- 

 ternal restraint is at first chiefly military, but society becomes 

 progressively more and more engrossed with productive pur- 

 suits, and the military spirit gradually gives way to the indus- 

 trial ; to which many similar truths might be added. And 

 with generalizations of this description, ordinary inquirers, 

 even of the historical school now predominant on the Continent, 

 are satisfied. But these and all such results are still at too 

 great a distance from the elementary laws of human nature on 

 which they depend, too many links intervene, and the con- 

 currence of causes at each link is far too complicated, to 

 enable these propositions to be presented as direct corollaries 

 from those elementary principles. They have, therefore, in 

 the minds of most inquirers, remained in the state of empirical 

 laws, applicable only within the bounds of actual observation ; 

 without any means of determining their real limits, and of 

 judging whether the changes which have hitherto been in pro- 

 gress are destined to continue indefinitely, or to terminate, or 

 even to be reversed. 



7. In order to obtain better empirical laws, we must 

 not rest satisfied with noting the progressive changes which 

 manifest themselves in the separate elements of society, and 



