EVOLUTION 1107 



Cosmic Genesis is the elimination that goes on — an elimination not 

 of individual variants only, but of species, t3^es, and classes. Many 

 that share in the struggle are not represented at all in the subsequent 

 outcome. Therefore the term Organic Evolution should be kept for 

 the realm of organisms exclusively. 



Or, if we prefer a single word, so often convenient, and continue 

 the common practice of adopting scientific terms from other tongues, 

 we might translate "Transformisme", so ordinarily used in France, 

 as Transformism. Yet to this there are objections; since it, like 

 Goethe's "Metamorphosis", which it indeed translates, is more 

 suitable for great changes than for the small ones we have so much 

 more commonly to do with. Hence transformism does not well 

 suggest the modern picture of Organic Evolution, since its actual 

 variations and mutations are, now at least, upon more moderate 

 scale than such a word implies; at least, until we view them as a 

 whole. Moreover, the term transformism suggests an erroneous 

 picture of one species changing into another. 



Just as there is a legitimate and promiseful chemistry and 

 physics of the living body, though this, in the judgment of many, 

 leaves the autonomy of biology quite secure — makes it, indeed, 

 imperative — so there are legitimate and promiseful applications of 

 biology to sociology. The unit in sociology is, indeed, some societary 

 integrate, but that is composed of organisms with health and dis- 

 ease, urges and appetencies, fertility and mortality, and so on. 

 Thus the biological question as to the transmissibility of individually 

 acquired somatic modifications is of profound importance for social 

 affairs. In short, there is a legitimate Bio-Sociology. 



(5) Social Evolution. — ^The outworn and often misleading 

 analogy between the animal body and the "social organism" is, or 

 should be, abandoned; but no adequate use has yet been made of 

 the true analogies, which are not only (i) in general, between animal 

 societies and human societies, but also (2) more definitely, between 

 the organic life-process of the organism in its relations, both passive 

 and active, to its environment — and the social process in which the 

 society is constantly interacting with its more complex environ- 

 ment also. (See Life-Theory, Chapter XIII). It has been recognised, 

 however, and from the very beginning of sociology, that biological 

 concepts or formulae have their counterparts in the science of 

 human societies; hence, as long as the false simplicity of "biolo- 

 gisms" is avoided, it is useful to inquire into social variations, 

 social heredity, social selection, social isolation, and so on. But using 

 similar terms for different, though analogous, processes has insi- 

 dious dangers, and may land us in error, that of "biologisms", as 

 all sufficient. Thus one too often hears social evolution spoken of 

 as if it were only a special case of mammalian evolution ; which would 

 be illegitimate even if all mammals were of social habit, like 



