Herbert Spejicer and the Doctrine of Evolution. 5 1 5 



ceremonial — are all divergent unfoldings of one original 

 form, and that the development of social structure, in these 

 as in other directions, takes place by gradual and continu- 

 ous differentiations, '' in conformity with the laws of Evolu- 

 tion of all organized bodies." 



Mr. Spencer was at the same time engaged in working 

 out his view in a different sphere ; the essay on the Gen- 

 esis of Science being contributed to the British Quarterly 

 Review in July, 1854. This was primarily called forth by 

 Miss Martineau's Abridgment of Comte, then just issued, 

 and was in part devoted to the refutation of the French 

 philosopher's views respecting the classification of the 

 sciences. But it became the occasion for a further de- 

 velopment of the doctrine of Evolution in its relation to 

 intellectual progress. The whole genesis of science is 

 there traced out historically under the aspect of a body of 

 truths, which, w^hile they became differentiated into dif- 

 ferent sciences, became at the same time more and more 

 integrated, or mutually dependent, so as eventually to 

 form " an organism of the sciences." There is besides a 

 recognition of the gradual increase in definiteness that 

 accompanies this increase in heterogeneity and in co- 

 herence. 



It was at this time that Mr. Spencer's views on psy- 

 chology began to assume the character of a system — the 

 conception of intellectual progress now reached being com- 

 bined with the ideas of life previously arrived at, in the de- 

 velopment of a psychological theory. The essay on the 

 Art of Education,* published in the North British Review 

 (May, 1854), assisted in the further development of these 

 ideas. In that essay the conception of the progress of the 

 mind during education is treated in harmony with the con- 



* Republished in his little work on Education, under the title of Intel- 

 lectual Education. 



