526 EQUILIBRATION. 



slowly approximating limits; so that the temporary pre- 

 dominance of either, produces a less marked deviation from 

 the medium state. This process, now so far ad- 



vanced among ourselves that the oscillations are compara- 

 tively unobtrusive, must go on till the balance between the 

 antagonistic forces approaches indefinitely near perfection. 

 For, as w T e have already seen, the adaptation of man's nature 

 to the conditions of his existence, cannot cease until the in- 

 ternal forces which we know as feelings are in equilibrium 

 with the external forces they encounter. And the establish- 

 ment of this equilibrium, is the arrival at a state of human 

 nature and social organization, such that the individual has 

 no desires but those which may be satisfied without exceed- 

 ing his proper sphere of action, while society maintains no 

 restraints but those which the individual voluntarily re- 

 spects. The progressive extension of the liberty of citizens, 

 and the reciprocal removal of political restrictions, are the 

 steps by which we advance towards this state. And the ulti- 

 mate abolition of all limits to the freedom of each, save those 

 imposed by the like freedom of all, must result from the 

 complete equilibration between man's desires and the con- 

 duct necessitated by surrounding conditions. 



Of course in this case, as in the preceding ones, there is 

 thus involved a limit to the increase of heterogeneity. A 

 few pages back, we reached the conclusion that each advance 

 in mental evolution, is the establishment of some further 

 internal action, corresponding to some further external ac- 

 tion — some additional connection of ideas or feelings, an- 

 swering to some before unknown or unantagonized con- 

 nection of phenomena. We inferred that each such new 

 function, involving some new modification of structure, 

 implies an increase of heterogeneity; and that thus, in- 

 crease of heterogeneity must go on, while there remain any 

 outer relations affecting the organism which are unbalanced 

 by inner relations. Whence we saw it to follow that in- 

 crease of heterogeneity can come to an end only as equilibra- 



