INVENTION AND PRODUCTION 229 



locomotion and electric-intercommunication. The process by 

 which achievement is handed down is called social heredity; and 

 the personality who is the source of social variation is the genius 

 of which there are three varieties: the inventive genius, the crea- 

 tive genius and the philosophic genius.^ 

 This doctrine, too, is given reKgious significance. 



Achievement comes to constitute a form of immortality and has an ex- 

 ceedingly attractive side. This hope of immortahty has doubtless formed 

 one of the important motives in all ages, but as the hope of personal immor- 

 tality wanes under the glare of scientific truth, especially of biological truth, 

 there is likely to be a still stronger tendency in this direction. Whatever 

 other forms of immortahty may be taught and beHeved in, the immortality 

 of deeds is not an article of faith but a demonstrated fact. The real immor- 

 tahty is the immortality of achievement. And after all it is a personal 

 immortality. Thus far it resembles Christian immortahty in that only a 

 few attain it. Only the elect are saved. They only are immortal who have 

 achieved.2 



Although this doctrine of the immortality of achievement will 

 never satisfy those who anticipate conscious existence beyond the 

 grave, nor does it offer hope to the toiling masses as does the 

 Christian doctrine, it supplements the orthodox view in a most 

 helpful way, and is a source of inspiration to the comparatively 

 few leaders of social progress whose reward is not primarily from 

 their contemporaries for whom they labor and give their lives, 

 but whose reward comes in the consciousness that their labor is 

 not in vain and that whether or not future generations connect 

 their name with their achievement, humanity at large will enjoy 

 greater well-being because they have lived. It has special signif- 

 icance, however, when applied to the social group. 



To summarize the bearing of Ward's social philosophy on our 

 subject: The process of cosmic evolution up to man is by passive 

 physical adaptation interpreted largely in mechanical terms in 

 much the same way as did Spencer whom he follows closely in 

 many respects. Our author introduces psychical terms, how- 

 ever, even here, and considers with Schopenhauer that the world- 

 soul with feeling as a dynamic has been pushing out blindly in 

 every direction, the adaptive variations blazing the path of 

 progress.^ 



1 Pure Sociology, pp. 493 f. 2 Ibid., p. 43. » Ibid., chs. VI and Vm. 



