THE EVOLUTION OF MORAL CODES 73 



science. Seemingly, the moral sense is new with 

 man. 



From the standpoint of our discussion the really 

 significant question is whether the moral nature is 

 the result of innate or acquired characteristics. If 

 it is innate, it is, of course, inbred into our nature in 

 such a way that it has become a part of the germinal 

 structure and is, therefore, transmitted by organic 

 inheritance. If this is the case, every individual is 

 born with his moral sense fixed in his nature in such 

 a way that neither he nor any one else, not even 

 society, is responsible for it. If this is the case, the 

 only way to modify the moral sense will be by 

 improving the mating conditions of men so as to pro- 

 duce a race of better-equipped men in this respect. 

 But if the moral sense is a matter of social inherit- 

 ance, the matter stands very differently. In this case 

 it has been the result of teaching and learning, and 

 the person is more or less responsible for his moral 

 sense, and other people and society in general are 

 directly responsible for it also. If this be true, it 

 would be possible to elevate the moral nature of the 

 race by education, by training, and by changing the 

 conditions of social life. The question whether the 

 moral sense is innate or acquired has, therefore, par- 

 ticular significance. 



This question, whether the moral sense is innate 

 or acquired, has been long and vigorously studied by 

 both philosophy and science. Into the philosophical 

 aspects of the case we shall not pretend to enter ; but 

 it is necessary for us to consider carefully the scien- 

 tific conception of the subject, since the whole prob- 

 lem of social evolution is dependent upon the con- 

 clusion. The study of the moral or ethical condition 



