Militarist Philosophy 



Social \ 

 Darwin ~ \ 



tsm not 



But not one of these alleged principles has scientific 

 validity. As concerns the first, while human nature 

 chajiges^ slowly, the angkTof vision may alter sud- 

 denly; and in those phases of public opinion often mis- 

 taken for "human nature," education plays a domi- 

 nant part. Secondly, clashes in views or interests 

 unavoidable in human society do not necessarily, or 

 naturally, lead to the impersonal machine-made 

 cooperative manslaughter of modern war. Finally, 

 natural selection means the survival of those indi- 

 viduals fitted to their surroundings and the persist- 

 ence through heredity of their traits. The dogma of 

 " Social Darwinism " which would apply this principle 



. . i i i r 



to international or inter-racial rivalries has no toun- Darwinian j / 

 dation in the theories or discoveries of Darwin. The 

 " struggle for existence," properly understood T Js^ 

 primarily the tendency or effort towards self-main-^ 

 jcnance amid more or less adverse conditionsoflife^ 

 and mutual aid is a factor as necessary as any of the 

 varied forms of competition. 1 



I was told that the lecturer had been making a 

 tour around the world, speaking at different places 

 to Germans in order to bring them into harmony with 

 Pangermanist plans. 2 But among those present 

 with whom I spoke I found no sympathy with his 

 point of view. Had he shown more fire and personal 

 force he might perhaps have made a deeper impres- 

 sion. As it was, the address seemed mainly a matter 

 of military and political theory, not apparently a call 

 to arms, although war between Germany and England 

 would be certain to follow its general acceptance by 

 either. 



1 For fuller discussion of this matter see " Democracy and World Relations," 

 Chapter iv. 



* See Chapter XLV, page 554. 



