THE ORGANIC CONCEPT OF SOCIETY 133 



He finds communism and socialism entirely inadequate forms of 

 social organization and rule by an aristocracy of talent at present 

 impracticable so is driven back to the ideal of Fraternity under- 

 standing by that " the recognition that the true ideal must be 

 founded rather on the notion of a readjustment of the hearts of 

 the citizens." ^ 



This introduces a conception of adaptation which may be 

 termed active moral, i. e., the effort to adjust our lives progres- 

 sively to our ever-advancing ideal, and to bring our fellow-men 

 also into harmony with that ideal. 



GusTAv Le Bon (1841- ) 

 The Psychology of Peoples 



We have considered the development of the concept of organism 

 as applied to society in the social theories of Schajffle and Mac- 

 kenzie, the one making his approach largely through biology, the 

 other through philosophy, and both emphasizing the fact that 

 the bond of social union is primarily psychical, the former bring- 

 ing into prominence common ideals, symbols, traditions and the 

 expression of these in institutions, the other, the rational needs of 

 individuals; but we are still left with the vague social goal of 

 self-realization, either of individuals as with Mackenzie or of the 

 world-force as with Schaffle. We turn now to some writers who 

 have endeavored to work out a clear concept of society as a 

 psychical organism. 



Le Bon in his Psychology of Peoples summarizes the conclu- 

 sions of elaborate investigations carried on by him covering a 

 period of years and published in several volimies, dealing with the 

 fundamental characteristics of various peoples considered as 

 psychical unities. He shows how impossible is a racial classifica- 

 tion based on descent, and how unsatisfactory is one based on 

 physiological characteristics. A race as he conceives it, is 

 primarily a social group which by a common physical and 

 psychical heredity develops a distinct character or " soul." In 

 early historical times this soul did not extend beyond the family, 



* Introdticiion to Social Philosophy, p. 290. 



