EVOLUTIONARY ETHICS. 193 



which, he is, in virtue of his success in the struggle for existence. 

 The conditions having been of a certain order, man's organiza- 

 tion has adjusted itself to them better than that of his competi- 

 tors in the cosmic strife. In the case of mankind the self-asser- 

 tion, the unscrupulous seizing on all that can be grasped, the 

 tenacious holding of all that can be kept, which constitute the 

 essence of the struggle for existence, have answered " [November 

 MONTHLY, pp. 21, 22]. 



Are the qualities here emphasized the only essential ones ? 

 Does this statement include all the facts or cover the whole 

 truth? To me it seems to be far from doing this, although it states 

 clearly and vigorously what all must admit to be partially true. 



The benefits of co-operation in the development of man are 

 too well recognized to be denied. Physically weaker than many 

 of the animals that surrounded him, he could not long have 

 survived in a struggle for existence against them had he been 

 forced to continue that struggle alone. Nor could he have at- 

 tained the mental development upon which so much of his suc- 

 cess has depended without contact with his fellows. The most 

 important if not the necessary condition of man's success in the 

 struggle for existence is society. Social growth becomes possi- 

 ble only through the survival of the socially fit. In an advancing 

 society this process must ever tend toward the production and 

 preservation of the " ethically best." Recognition of the rights 

 of others has been equally as important in the evolution of man 

 as self-assertion. Indeed, it may be claimed that, under the con- 

 ditions of social life, it is a necessary consequence of self-asser- 

 tion. Men could not live long together unless they recognized 

 the right of each to his own, and respected it. The survival of a 

 society, like the survival of the individuals composing it, becomes 

 possible only through adaptation to the necessary conditions of 

 life, and it will not be denied by Prof. Huxley that morality is 

 essential to social well-being. Indeed, he admits as much, for he 

 says : " One of the oldest and most important elements in such 

 systems is the conception of justice. Society is impossible unless 

 those who are associated agree to observe certain rules of conduct 

 toward one another ; its stability depends on the steadiness with 

 which they abide by that agreement ; and so far as they waver, 

 that mutual trust which is the bond of society is weakened or de- 

 stroyed" [November MONTHLY, p. 24]. 



I am somewhat at a loss to reconcile this statement with the 

 general teaching of the lecture. It seems to me that this moral 

 development is just as much a part of the " cosmic process " as 

 physical or mental development, neither of which are excluded by 

 Prof. Huxley. Moral development comes, to be sure, in recogniz- 

 able quantities, rather later in history than the others, and is of 



VOL. XL1T. 16 



