ACTIVE SOCIAL ADAPTATION 279 



(4) The different forms of social conflict are merely a continua- 

 tion of astronomical and biological processes to be interpreted in 

 terms of movement, rhythm, equilibrium and adaptation. " Mat- 

 ter tends constantly toward equilibrium. Biological equilibrium 

 is adaptation to environment. Adaptation to environment is a 

 correlation between exterior objects and their interior image, i. e., 

 truth. Truth is the suppression of the notions of space and 

 time." He goes on to show that as the economy of time leads to 

 association, at first between cells, finally between millions of men, 

 we are compelled to believe that an extension of association would 

 lead to still great economy of time and increase of human well- 

 being, hence to the suppression of war as the general rule of social 

 Hfe.i 



As peace means death whereas conflict means life, conserva- 

 tism in a society means death whereas liberalism and rapidity of 

 change mean life. Nor does conflict necessarily produce pain. 

 Defeat is painful but not struggle as such. Work, for example, is 

 painful only when of a certain kind and carried on too long. Nor, 

 again, does struggle for existence necessarily engender hatred. 

 Industrial competition, for example, leads to co-operation and 

 co-operation deadens the hatred stirred up by rivalry. Thus 

 while conflict may arouse hatred it also unites men against a com- 

 mon enemy. The ideal of struggle, then, is that it be carried on 

 with courtesy, that it lead to loyalty, and that it unite as many as 

 possible in a common purpose. These conditions are fulfilled best 

 when struggle is on the intellectual plane.^ 



After discussing the application of these principles to " se- 

 curity " ^ and " justice " ^ (including international), our author 

 passes to a consideration of the interests of the units composing 

 social groups. 



Novicow agrees with Ferriere as against Spencer that in the 

 biological organism as well as in the social, the whole exists for 

 the good of the parts. ^ Each individual, he holds, tends to secure 

 the greatest amoimt of happiness possible but he insists that the 

 first condition of this is to adapt the earth to his needs in the 



* Les Luttes, pp. 426 f. "* Ibid., pp. 481 f. 



2 Ibid., pp. 458 f. » Ibid., pp. 461 S. ^ Ibid., p. 532. 



